View in EDS

Storying Worlds: Thinking and Doing Otherwise in Young Children's Story Pedagogy

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Storying Worlds: Thinking and Doing Otherwise in Young Children's Story Pedagogy
Language: English
Authors: Kimberly Lenters (ORCID 0000-0003-3840-9285), Anne Cloarec, Ronna Mosher (ORCID 0000-0001-7077-1386)
Source: Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. 2026 26(2):517-537.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 21
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Early Childhood Education
Grade 1
Primary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Grade 1, Young Children, Literacy, Story Telling, Outdoor Education, Play, Story Grammar, Childrens Attitudes, Cognitive Processes, Writing Instruction, Humanism, Narration
Geographic Terms: Canada
DOI: 10.1177/14687984251367651
ISSN: 1468-7984
1741-2919
Abstract: Children's storied play, or in other words, their fictive world-building, has much to teach us with regard to understanding story and how story pedagogy might be otherwise shaped in curricular spaces. In this article, we explore this proposition by drawing on interconnected and entangled moments of children's outdoor storied play in a Canadian first-grade class. By mapping the children's movements within three storied-play encounters, we animate how what could appear as the most ordinary and mundane ways of composing story in outdoor, open-ended and make-believe play, offers a lively form of protestation to the predominant Western narrative paradigm of beginning-middle-end story structure. Bringing the three moments into conversation with literary theorist Marielle Macé's concept of narrative stylization, we attend to ways story lives and grows within children's storied and playful worldbuilding. Ultimately, we argue that limiting instructional methods to that which is centred around the objectification and rationalization of storying (i.e., typical beginning-middle-end story structure) can displace other pedagogical directions that recognize and extend the myriad ways in which stories are made, learned, and understood. We conclude the article with an exploration of how educators might promote and build upon the narrative stylizations -- fiction-in-the-doing -- that children are always already engaging in their storied play.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504048
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1504048
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Storying Worlds: Thinking and Doing Otherwise in Young Children's Story Pedagogy
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kimberly+Lenters%22">Kimberly Lenters</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3840-9285">0000-0003-3840-9285</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anne+Cloarec%22">Anne Cloarec</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ronna+Mosher%22">Ronna Mosher</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7077-1386">0000-0001-7077-1386</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Early+Childhood+Literacy%22"><i>Journal of Early Childhood Literacy</i></searchLink>. 2026 26(2):517-537.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 21
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+1%22">Grade 1</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Primary+Education%22">Primary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Students%22">Elementary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grade+1%22">Grade 1</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Young+Children%22">Young Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Story+Telling%22">Story Telling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outdoor+Education%22">Outdoor Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Play%22">Play</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Story+Grammar%22">Story Grammar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Childrens+Attitudes%22">Childrens Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+Processes%22">Cognitive Processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Writing+Instruction%22">Writing Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Humanism%22">Humanism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Narration%22">Narration</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1177/14687984251367651
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1468-7984<br />1741-2919
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Children's storied play, or in other words, their fictive world-building, has much to teach us with regard to understanding story and how story pedagogy might be otherwise shaped in curricular spaces. In this article, we explore this proposition by drawing on interconnected and entangled moments of children's outdoor storied play in a Canadian first-grade class. By mapping the children's movements within three storied-play encounters, we animate how what could appear as the most ordinary and mundane ways of composing story in outdoor, open-ended and make-believe play, offers a lively form of protestation to the predominant Western narrative paradigm of beginning-middle-end story structure. Bringing the three moments into conversation with literary theorist Marielle Macé's concept of narrative stylization, we attend to ways story lives and grows within children's storied and playful worldbuilding. Ultimately, we argue that limiting instructional methods to that which is centred around the objectification and rationalization of storying (i.e., typical beginning-middle-end story structure) can displace other pedagogical directions that recognize and extend the myriad ways in which stories are made, learned, and understood. We conclude the article with an exploration of how educators might promote and build upon the narrative stylizations -- fiction-in-the-doing -- that children are always already engaging in their storied play.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1504048
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1504048
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/14687984251367651
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 21
        StartPage: 517
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grade 1
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Young Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Literacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Story Telling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Outdoor Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Play
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Story Grammar
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Childrens Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Processes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Writing Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Humanism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Narration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canada
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Storying Worlds: Thinking and Doing Otherwise in Young Children's Story Pedagogy
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kimberly Lenters
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Anne Cloarec
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ronna Mosher
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1468-7984
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1741-2919
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 26
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Early Childhood Literacy
              Type: main
ResultId 1