Cumulative Stories for Speech & Language

Cumulative stories refer to a structure in which details and dialogue repeat and build upon each other during the story. Cumulative stories create a pattern, and the plot lines become predictable. These patterns make cumulative stories wonderful to use for speech and language goals, reading comprehension, and sequencing.

Below are examples of cumulative stories:

• “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything,” by Linda Williams

• “Jump Frog, Jump,” by Robert Kalan

• “In Arctic Waters,” by Laura Crawford

• “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed…” by Lucille Colandro

• “The House that Jack Built,” by Graham Masterton

Readers: What are your favorite cumulative stories?

About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP, is the owner of Sunflower Speech & Myo Therapy, PLLC, in Charlotte, NC.