Children’s stories and multisensory engagement: Insights from a cultural probes study

The study investigates children’s multisensory engagement in storytelling using ‘cultural probes’ in Norwegian kindergartens. The goal is to identify children’s perspectives on sensory engagement in stories and to use them to prepare design recommendations for sensory children’s books. The research questions are: 1) What role do the senses play in children’s open, spontaneously told stories? 2) What parameters related to storytelling and sensory engagement are important when designing children’s books?

The results showed that children selectively engaged in their senses, with visual and haptic (touch) senses being the most prominent during the storytelling. The children created stories that focused mainly on real characters in landscapes they knew, and sensory engagement varied in intensity. The findings point to the importance of including children’s own experiences and sensory preferences in the design of educational resources, such as children’s books that engage multiple senses.

Data were collected using a ‘cultural probing method’, in which 11 Norwegian children aged 4-5 years participated. The children were encouraged to tell a story using open artistic materials in a ‘story box’. Their stories were analysed for structural elements and the intensity of children’s sensory engagement.

Kucirkova, N., & Kamola, M. (2022). Children’s stories and multisensory engagement: Insights from a cultural probes study. International Journal of Educational Research, 114, 101995.