Why do we tell stories around the fire?

It’s a cool fall night in November. As the sun sets, a hush falls over the campground as campers settle around blazing fires. Towering evergreens and the multi-colored leaves of fall become silhouettes backlit by stars. Campers huddle together for warmth, and the storytelling begins in the absence of Netflix and iPads. 

The appeal of the campfire

Today, the words “campfire stories” may bring to mind summer camping trips and beach bonfires. That’s because in both settings, says Jason Lane, senior executive director for Seattle YMCA’s camping and outdoor leadership programs, the campfire becomes a focal point of entertainment and connection. 

“Fire, in many ways, is like one of our earliest technologies,” Lane says. “We can imagine thousands of years ago, families were sitting around a fire, cooking and telling stories, sharing about the history of their family, their community, and the land … So from a historical sense, I think it’s programmed into us, part of what makes us human. It’s probably very primal, even for youth, and that’s probably why it’s so fascinating for them.” 

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A global phenomena

In the early 1800s, soldiers in the U.S. and other countries commonly used campfire stories to stay awake during nighttime watches. In our country, the tradition was picked up in the early 1900s by youth scouting organizations—the first official Boy Scouts of America handbook included a “Campcraft” chapter providing storytelling tips. 

But campfire stories are not just an American phenomenon. In a 2014 research study, researcher Polly Weissner examined a group of hunter-gatherers in southern Africa. During the day, their conversations focused on economics, productivity, and conflicts. But at night, fireside chats turned to imaginative tales, social healing and connection, and cultural stories. Weissner found similar fireside storytelling traditions among Japanese foragers, Australian aboriginals, and indigenous elders from the Pacific Northwest. 

Research published the same year in the journal Evolutionary Psychology shows that campfires and the stories they bring provide social connection and other benefits, which makes a lot of sense to Lane. As does the fact that in Latin, the word “focus” translates to hearth or fireplace.

“When sitting around a hearth or around a campfire [and] the fire burns down, you get these coals,” Lane says. “Especially with no other light source, they just glow and dance. It’s just so mesmerizing. So when I think about the way your focus is drawn to the fire—for youth and adults—I think [focus] is a very adept word to use for it.”

The power of campfire stories

In the darkness of night, campfire stories often gravitate toward the spooky and supernatural. 

Dancing flames cast shadows around the campground, and noises are amplified, making it hard to tell: Was that just my shadow cast across the tree trunk or a creature scurrying behind a bush? 

Scary stories give kids a sense of risk and danger and a rush of adrenaline in a safe, controlled environment—and that may be part of the appeal to them, Lane says. And, according to multiple sources, telling, hearing, or reading scary stories may help kids cope with fear, understand their feelings, expand their emotional range, practice problem-solving, and develop empathy.

Simone Greene, an 11-year-old Seattleite, likes the chilly feeling of scary campfire stories, amplified by the darkness and the glow of the fire on campers’ faces. 

“I also like [everyone] coming to the campfire and telling spooky stories and scaring each other, and then going to [their] tents,” she adds.  

Still, Lane points out, leaders at YMCA camps don’t focus on scary tales when stories start around the fire. Counselors want kids to feel safe, be able to sleep well, and stay in good spirits. Telling scary stories could change that dynamic, so they focus on stories and activities that build confidence and resilience. 

“You get to unlock your imagination a little differently around the campfire, and those stories can be very fun and can be very meaningful,” says Lane. 

Tips for campfire storytellers

To conjure the right amount of drama, magic, and intrigue when telling a story around the campfire, consider these tips from Benjamin Camp, co-founder and director of Camp Bonfire:

• Choose the right story and practice in advance. Find a short story that involves enough action to hold kids’ attention. Get familiar with the story and memorize it if that helps with your delivery.
• Set yourself up for a good reading. You’re competing with chirping crickets and the crackle of fire, so have water nearby to keep your voice strong. Sit or stand straight, breathe from your diaphragm, and project your voice. A headlamp or clip-on booklight will likely provide more reading light than the campfire. 
• Wait for the right moment. Wait until people have settled under their blankets and eaten their s’mores. Your audience will be captive, silent, and calm–don’t miss it!
• Find your rhythm and be authentic. Camp advises that if stories are being read, they “should be read slightly faster than you think, but without rushing.” Volume, speed, and tone all affect the story’s rhythm.
• Make sure you’re enunciating. 
• Pause occasionally. It may surprise your audience and create suspense. Be sure to add your own reactions to the story to connect with the young listeners. 

Campfire Stories books and decks: Tools for the telling

In 2018, authors Ilyssa and Dave Kyu published their book Campfire Stories: Tales from America’s National Parks with Seattle-based Mountaineers Books. The book was so popular that volume two of Campfire Stories was published in 2023. After the publication of the books, the Kyus say they heard from many stories from readers.

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READ AND LISTEN: Glukeek Legend

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Input from readers, in part, led the couple to create two sets of storytelling card decks designed to encourage storytelling in group settings, including around the campfire, the family table, or just about anywhere else.

• Campfire Stories Deck is ideal for all ages, featuring prompts for personal stories or fictional tales. While many focus on our experiences with nature, other prompts touch on more personal connections.
• Campfire Stories Deck—For Kids! introduces a more imaginative storytelling process. The cards are divided into two groups: 25 characters (described with an adjective and noun) and 25 actions. The player chooses one card from each set and uses them as prompts to build a story. 

The Kyus encourage families to try different approaches with the cards and have heard from parents doing just that. For example, some parents encourage kids to pull cards to add to a single story continually. Others like to spin a collective tale as a family, each person adopting a character and action.

Writing your own prompts

Consider creating your own prompts to get the stories going around your family table or campfire. Pull out a bowl or bag and fill it with strips of paper that each start with “Tell a story about ….” Here are a few to get you going, based on the Kyu’s Campfire Stories Decks:

• Tell a story about your first visit to a favorite park.
• Tell a story about an unexpected animal encounter.
• Tell a story about your favorite memory of the person sitting beside you.
• Try these combinations of character and action as a starting point:
  • A mellow marmot drains the ocean. What happens next?
  • A bossy butterfly spies a flickering light inside a cave. What happens next?

“To create a way for kids to participate in storytelling, they don’t really need much because their imaginations are just so wild and wacky sometimes,” Ilyssa Kyu says. “Sometimes they just need a spark, so that’s where the idea of creating a deck specifically for kids came [from].” 

The books and decks are available on Amazon, at Campfirestoriesbook.com, and through Mountaineers Books at mountaineers.org/books.

Read more from our storytelling project:

Lifting Up the Sky

Glukeek Legend

Learning txʷəlšucid and telling the stories

Living, breathing, working for my culture

Family stories handed down

The Chicken and Two  Scorpions

A family of Moths: Recreating The Moth StorySLAM at home

The Best Mother She Ever Had

‘Out of my heart a story will come: Storytelling in schools’

The Lion and the Mouse

Why do we tell stories around the fire?