What are the themes in young children’s stories? An analysis of the content of children’s written productions

The authors examined themes in written narratives of second grade students including gender and ethnic differences. Eighty-seven stories were considered for this research, six general themes were found, and content and comparative analyses were performed among themes. Children tended to write more frequently about personal experiences and activities, and about settings that involved nature and animals; however, interactivity and social context was almost always present in children’s stories. Boys and girls tended to write about almost the same topics, with a higher tendency of girls to write about family including female characters performing gender-oriented tasks. Finally, the researchers found some ethnic differences in children’s stories, especially fantasy stories, nature, and family.