"Tell stories" is common advice in climate education. It is also vague. What kind of stories? How do you help young people tell them? And what is storytelling actually good for?
Two researchers reviewed 30 published studies from 2014 to 2024 on storytelling with young people. The studies came from six continents and included elementary-age children, university students, teachers and community members, in classrooms, after-school clubs, summer programs, children's theater and community settings.
The researchers found:
1. Stories do four different jobs. Educators used storytelling to turn complex climate science into something meaningful. They also used it to explore feelings about the environment and how young people see themselves in relation to nature, to pass on Indigenous and cultural knowledge, and to imagine other possible futures.
2. Storytelling needs structure. It worked when educators planned it on purpose, not when they left it to spontaneous creativity. Support included story prompts such as "letters from the future," direct lessons in filmmaking, making videos together, and step-by-step frameworks.
3. Educator preparation matters. In one study, facilitators were trained in shaping stories, using digital media and leading sessions ethically. Their young people moved from mostly negative feelings toward acceptance, curiosity and hope.
4. Communities offer their own kind of support. In programs working with Indigenous communities, elders, oral traditions and cultural customs guided young people, rather than worksheets or apps.
5. Digital tools are common but not essential. More than half the studies used them, with young people both making their own stories and interpreting other people's. Not every young person has good access to devices, software or internet, so format choices matter.
What this means for your practice
• Pick the job first. Explaining a science idea calls for a different activity than exploring feelings or imagining the future. Naming your purpose helps you choose the right prompt.
• Build it into what you already do. The authors suggest weaving storytelling into existing units and programs rather than adding something new. A field trip, a seasonal topic or a local issue can all become a story.
• Give a clear starting point. A prompt like writing a letter from the future gives young people a shape to work within. If you use video, teach basic filmmaking skills first.
• Keep it simple. Low-tech and mixed formats, such as drawing, spoken stories or photos with captions, work well and don't depend on devices or internet.
• Lean on relationships you already have. Families, community members and local knowledge holders can guide and enrich young people's stories, as elders did in several studies.
• Make young people researchers. Invite them to identify a local environmental issue, gather stories about it, and share what they learn with families and local decision-makers. None of the studies followed stories beyond the program, so build in a real audience from the start.
• Rethink assessment. Portfolios, exhibitions and community presentations can show learning that a test would miss.
• Agree on ownership. Before sharing anything, agree with young people who owns their stories and who decides where they go.
• Prepare yourself. If you'll lead stories about feelings, some training in guiding these conversations carefully will help you support young people well.
Return to Arts-Based and Creative Approaches to Environmental Education eeRESEARCH Collection
The Bottom Line
Storytelling is often recommended in climate education, but educators rarely get clear advice on how to use it. The researchers reviewed 30 studies from the past decade on young people creating and sharing stories about the environment. They found that stories did four main jobs: making climate science meaningful, helping young people work through feelings like worry, grief and hope, passing on Indigenous and cultural knowledge, and imagining different futures. None of this happened by itself. Storytelling worked when educators planned it carefully and gave young people structured support, such as story prompts or hands-on filmmaking lessons. Well-prepared facilitators also made a difference. For educators, the message is practical: storytelling is something you can teach step by step, and it fits into the lessons and programs you already run.