You know the moment. You say "Once upon a time," and the room goes quiet. Stories are one of the oldest teaching tools we have, but which kinds of stories actually help people care about nature and act on it? Our new eeRESEARCH collection, Storytelling for Environmental Education, brings together six recent studies that put storytelling to the test. They range from five-year-olds hearing a folk tale in Turkey to university students stepping inside a virtual reality forest, and adults reading about Australian landscapes.

View eeRESEARCH Collection: Storytelling for Environmental Education 

What the Research Tells Us

Show actions learners can take.

Stories worked best when characters did something the audience could copy. In a workshop in English primary schools, a dance story about a young bee ended with a friend finding her wildflowers. Afterward, nine in ten children said they knew how to help bees. In Indonesia, children who read digital comics went on to describe the same everyday steps the characters took.

Hand the story over.

Learners got the most from stories they told themselves. Children who made up their own bee-helping dances said they felt like heroes. Fourth graders in Turkey who wrote and voiced digital storybooks said the project boosted their imagination, writing and teamwork. Many also said they had become more careful with water and energy.

Tie the story to real places and habits.

In the Indonesian study, the strongest moments came when children linked the comics to trees being cut down or plastic in rivers near home. A study of Australian landscapes found the most effective stories explained why a place looks the way it does, such as sand slowly building an island.

Enjoyment is not the same as impact.

In the virtual reality study, students who enjoyed the story most were not much more likely to rethink their own habits. The turning point was a twist: students saw their own reflection as the goblin wasting resources, then helped repair the forest. In the landscape study, a funny tale about a criminal riding an ostrich was popular but didn't help people connect with the lake.

Try This

• Ask "how would you feel?" After a story with animal characters, try a question like "If you were the snake, how would you feel?" With preschoolers, this drew empathy from most of the children.
• Keep the listening short, then let learners create. Follow a brief, playful story with a chance to retell it through dance, drawing or writing.
• End with one real action. Planting a pot of wildflower seeds to take home made helping bees concrete for children.
• Test your story against the place. Before using a story at a site, ask: would this make sense anywhere else? If so, look for one that explains the landscape in front of you.
• Plan digital projects realistically. Give every student a clear role, and allow extra time, spare devices, and a quiet space for recording.

Explore the collection

Each study has its own short summary with more findings and practical ideas for classrooms, nature centers, and visitor sites. Explore the full collection and dip into the individual summaries. Then tell us in the comments: how do you use stories in your programs, and what has worked for you?