Why Telling Stories in Your Mother Tongue Matters

As parents and caregivers, we instinctively understand the power of stories. We tell them at bedtime, during long walks, or around the kitchen table. But in our increasingly globalized and multilingual lives, many of us switch to a dominant or more "useful" language, even in intimate moments with our children. Today, I want to invite you to consider the gift of storytelling in your mother tongue—and why it matters more than you might think.

Our first language is more than just a tool for communication. It carries rhythms, expressions, and emotions deeply tied to our identity. When we tell a story in our mother tongue, we’re not just sharing a narrative—we're passing down culture, values, and a sense of belonging. A simple lullaby in your native language can evoke warmth, safety, and love in a way no translation ever could.

For children, especially those growing up in multilingual homes or countries different from their parents’, stories in the mother tongue become lifelines to their roots. They help children feel proud of where they come from and understand that their identity can include many layers.

Language carries sound patterns that our brains connect to comfort and care. Studies have shown that babies can recognize and prefer their mother's voice in her native language even before birth. When you tell a story in your first language—no matter how rusty you feel—your child hears something profoundly familiar: the sound of home.

This deep emotional connection creates a safe space for imagination to flourish and for your bond with your child to grow stronger.

Storytelling in your mother tongue supports cognitive development and literacy. It reinforces vocabulary, grammar, and conceptual thinking in that language. For bilingual or multilingual children, hearing stories in multiple languages helps them distinguish between linguistic systems, enhances brain flexibility, and builds a rich internal world.

Even if your child prefers speaking the community language (English, for example), regularly hearing stories in your mother tongue provides a strong foundation for bilingual fluency and intercultural understanding.

Languages fade when they're not spoken. In telling stories in your mother tongue, you become a cultural bridge, a language keeper. Your child doesn't need to be perfectly fluent for the language to live in them. A few stories, repeated often, are enough to plant deep, enduring roots.

Imagine your child one day recalling a folk tale you told them in your mother tongue—and then sharing it with their own children. That’s how languages stay alive. Through stories. Through love.

If you feel insecure about your mother tongue—maybe you haven't used it in years or it feels mixed with other languages—don’t let that stop you. Children don’t need perfection. They need connection.

Tell simple tales. Sing nursery rhymes. Share childhood memories. Your stories don’t need to be long or elaborate. They just need to be you.

Invitation

Hi Blue Butterfly will soon host a special storytelling event entirely in Portuguese—a warm, playful gathering for children and families who speak (or are learning) Portuguese. We’ll sing, tell stories, and celebrate language in community.

Tickets at:

https://www.underscoreprojects.ca/products/storytelling-for-kids-by-blue-butterfly-contacao-de-historias-por-blue-butterfly