“Children's stories in the development of oral expression in 5-year-old boys and girls.” “Los cuentos infantiles en el desarrollo de la expresión oral en niños y niñas de 5 años.”

Abstract

This study examined the impact of reading children's stories on the development of oral expression of 5-year-old boys and girls at the MUNAJA Humanist Psychopedagogical Center. Using a mixed approach with qualitative predominance, we analyzed how the frequency and type of stories influence vocabulary richness, narrative coherence and verbal fluency. Through systematic observations, surveys of parents and questionnaires of educators, significant improvements in linguistic development were found, although challenges such as lack of time and limited interest of some children were also identified. The results suggest that, although story reading is a common and valued practice, greater integration of pedagogical strategies and more effective collaboration between home and school is required to maximize its impact on children's oral expression. Significant theories referenced include: Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which highlights the crucial role of language in cognitive development; Jean Piaget's theory of language development, which emphasizes the importance of interaction and narration in learning new linguistic structures; and social-emotional learning theory, which emphasizes how narratives contribute to emotional and social development through empathy and understanding emotions.