In our work with underserved communities, we’ve noticed something vital: children who are exposed to storytelling through puppet plays, picture books, or oral rhymes respond with more curiosity, empathy, and resilience.

In places where toys are few and school supplies limited, stories offer infinite worlds. They ask children to imagine, to ask questions, to relate. They nurture both the mind and the heart.

The children in the Alambana Program are bright, energetic, and eager to recite their rhymes. They know “Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai” by heart. They can count tables up to 12. But beneath that surface-level recall, I noticed something missing—opportunities for imagination, self-expression, and emotional understanding.

In communities where formal resources are often scarce, what children say and how they say it becomes an essential insight into how they process the world. Storytelling helps children:

• Build emotional vocabulary
• Strengthen narrative memory
• Practice cognitive flexibility
• Develop a sense of agency

When a child says, “Bijli got wet in the rain,” they’re not just speaking—they’re creating a world, solving problems, and placing themselves at the center of meaning-making. Inspired by a simple but powerful moment—when a Health Promoter gently asked a young girl,“Aaj khane mein kya khaya?” 

—I began designing a board game. Not for teaching them more alphabets, but for helping them discover their voices.