Story festival to help children understand world

Organisers hope the event will help to build memories and bring families together

Families are being encouraged to take part in a story-telling event aimed at helping young children better understand the world.

The Festival of Stories in Cambridgeshire runs until 26 February, and includes sixty events, both in-person and online.

Its focus is on developing children's communication, language, and literacy skills through everyday tales.

Marion Leeper, one of the storytellers, said: "[It] is a great opportunity to devise a story specially for families and based on their everyday experience."

The festival will feature children's storytellers, an author, a puppet show and interactive activities, including scavenger hunts.

Ms Leeper said: "Storytellers often say, 'You have to tell a story to get a story,' and everyday stories like these encourage so many stories in response.

"The stories that every family tells with their children, the little, ordinary events that make memories to bind a family together."

Bryony Goodliffe, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council's children and young people committee, said storytelling was a "particularly engaging medium for children".

"It provides a great way to connect with them, support their communication skills and develop their understanding of the world around them," she added.