Celebrating National Tell a Story Day

National Tell a Story Day is celebrated every year on 27th April.

It is a joyful reminder of the power of storytelling. Whether it’s sharing tales around a dinner table, crafting imaginative adventures with kids, or reading a bedtime classic, this day encourages everyone - young and old - to tap into their creativity and share stories.

What Is National Tell a Story Day?

National Tell a Story Day was founded in 2009 by entrepreneur George Rafeedie, originally to encourage brands to connect with people through storytelling. But the day has since grown into a cultural celebration of stories in all forms—oral, written, illustrated, and digital.

Why Do We Celebrate Storytelling?

Stories connect us. They help us make sense of the world, explore new perspectives, and pass down knowledge across generations. Whether it’s a fairy tale, a family memory, or a made-up bedtime adventure, stories allow us to communicate emotion, teach lessons, and entertain in a way no other medium can.

A Brief History of Storytelling

The first known written story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, dating back to 2700 BCE. But storytelling began long before that. Oral traditions - through song, spoken word, and performance - have been part of human culture for over 7,000 years.

In fact, 30,000-year-old cave drawings discovered in France suggest that even early humans used visual storytelling to convey meaning. These illustrations may have served as prompts for storytellers, sparking narrative and connection in early communities.

Across every culture, storytelling has served purposes ranging from teaching morals to preserving history, from entertaining families to inspiring social change.

If you’re curious about how storytelling evolved across history, take a look at our History of Storytelling feature for a deep dive into the origins and traditions of this ancient art form.

The Benefits of Storytelling for Children

Encouraging children to tell their own stories has enormous benefits:

• It helps them organise ideas and understand narrative structure
• It builds empathy by allowing them to step into a character’s perspective
• It develops language and literacy skills in a fun, low-pressure way
• It nurtures imagination and self-expression

At Story Spark, we believe stories are one of the best tools for helping children grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially. That’s why our AI-powered platform encourages children to create personalised stories with their own ideas, names, and adventures.

How to Celebrate National Tell a Story Day

Looking for ways to get involved?

• Ask your child to tell you a made-up story over dinner
• Create a picture book together from scratch
• Use Story Spark’s story generator for kids starring your child as the hero
• Call a grandparent and ask them to share a story from their childhood
• Read a favourite book aloud together

Whether your story is silly, spooky, heartfelt, or heroic, today is the perfect day to share it. If you’re looking for a story to tell, do check out our range of short stories for kids and our popular bedtime stories.

Happy National Tell a Story Day!