22 TeachNursery.com

Get creative withyour storytelling

Tonya Meers introduces a technique that will entertain andeducate the children in your setting in equal measures...

the way. The numbers are given in bothEnglish and Swahili. As an educationalbook on its own it is great, but we tookit a step further...

CREATIVE ACTIVITIES After the story the children had greatfun making their own Serengetigrasslands story boxes. To help thesession run smoothly, I had pre-prepared the boxes by removing thefour flaps from the top of each andcutting off one of the longest sides.Due to the limited time we had for the session I had also painted the three remaining sides blue torepresent the sky. We then lined thebottom of the boxes with parcel paper to represent the floor of theSerengeti and added raffia for the

WHAT IS CREATIVE STORYTELLINGand how can you use it to teachchildren? Well, put simply, creativestorytelling involves making things likepuppets, story boxes, or charactermodels to interact with a story. It’s theinteraction that is the crucial part,because when we truly interact with astory we are making an emotionalconnection, using more of our sensesand engaging more areas of the brain.This helps to embed the message of thestory in children’s learning.

Children love making things andthey tend to get very attached towhatever it is they have made – it’salways a pleasure to see the pride intheir faces and that triumphant look ofachievement when their project iscomplete! I find that children are muchmore engaged with a story if they havemade something connected to it, andlearn far more as a result.

Running a sessionCHOOSING THE STORYWhen you plan a creative storytellingsession, find a story that you know thechildren will not only enjoy but whichthey will learn from as well. I also lookat what type of things I can get thechildren to make, so that they caninteract with that story againafterwards, and obviously at the age ofthe children in the group, so that I canadapt things accordingly.

In one session I was involved with,which took place in a Reception class,we used We All Went on Safari by LaurieKrebs. It was the culmination of a seriesof sessions on different Africananimals. The story is set in theSerengeti Plain in Tanzania and is aboutfour children who go on an adventureand count the wildlife they see along

grass lands. We created trees fromtwigs and moss. We then addedanimals, which we had made over the previous weeks.

GETTING INTERACTIVEThis was when the magic reallyhappened. We put the boxes togetherand had our own safari. We groupedanimals together and moved themfrom box to box, counting them inEnglish and Swahili.

The children learnt so much fromthis – in particular, that the animals theycreated weren’t jungle animals, as theyare so often portrayed, but grasslandanimals. They learnt what a grasslandwas: that it is dry with few trees.

The session also helped to developthe children’s language skills, not justwith learning some Swahili, but throughthe rich vocabulary and rhythm of thestory as well as their communicationwith each other.

At the end of the session the childrenput their own animals back in the boxesthey had made and used them to makeup their own stories. It was lovely to seethem engaging their imaginations andnatural storytelling abilities.

The benefitsCreative storytelling is an ideal way tocover the EYFS, as it spans the primeareas of learning. For example, storiesare a great way for children toexperience a rich variety of languageand broaden their vocabulary.Storytelling promotes cognitivedevelopment as little ones learn tounderstand tone of voice, gesture andpace, as well as encouraging empathywith the characters. It also gives theman opportunity to speak and listen. Ifchildren have made puppets, they can

TONYA MEERS IS THE CHIEF STORYTELLER WITH LITTLE CREATIVE DAYS.

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“Creativestorytellinghelps tofoster thecuriosity andcapacity tomakeconnections,take risksand innovate.

make up their own stories or act outthe story they have heard, which helpsto embed the learning.

Creative activities are a fantastic wayto develop fine motor skills as childrenexplore a variety of materials andtechniques, as well as being able toexperiment with colour, designs andtextures. And we know that storytellingenhances children’s personal, social andemotional development. It gives them theopportunity to play togethercooperatively, learning how to work as ateam as well as form positive relationships.It also affords them the opportunity todevelop their thoughts and feelings, andunderstand the moral of a story. It iswonderful to see how making somethingfor themselves boosts children’sconfidence, and it also give focus to thosechildren who may have attention issues.I’ve also found that it is great for thosewith SEN, as it allows for all children tofeel included in the activities.

There’s more! If you have everwondered how to help childrenunderstand the world we live in, thencreative storytelling is a great way to look

If you would like to have a go, whynot try some of the followingactivities to make your creativestorytelling a hit?

l Puppet making – you can providea variety of art and craft materialsfor your children to unleash theirimaginations with, or even useunwanted socks.l Story boxes – the Serengetigrasslands boxes described aboveproved really popular, but with a bitof thought and preparation you couldcreate any scene for your children. l Face masks – fun to make and agreat way to let children role playtheir favourite tales.l Character models – these can bemade from everyday objects andused to extend children’s enjoymentof any story.

TRY IT YOURSELF at past events, people and the impact thatcertain behaviours can have. For example,a story about saving the rainforest can helpto explain the effects of deforestation onanimals, as well as looking at how the felledwood is used.

So by using creative storytellingyou can grow children’s knowledge andunderstanding in a real and engagingway. It invites children to use theirimaginations, which will stretch them. Itwill also help to foster the curiosity andcapacity to make connections, takerisks and innovate. They will learn howto express themselves in different waysand with different media, which aidsdevelopment of social skills and socialinteraction. It is a fantastic pedagogictool: simple, versatile and suitable forall ages. Why not try it in your setting?

Little Creative Days produce puppet-making kits based on original storiesfor 3–9-year-olds, all linked to theEYFS, KS1 or KS2. For moreinformation, including suggestedthemes for your own sessions, and blogposts, visit littlecreativedays.co.uk

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