Sue Cowley: 9 Ideas for Exploring Storytelling With Children

1. The Tiger Who Came to Tea

The storytelling idea: You’ll read aloud Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea, about a tiger that interrupts Sophie’s afternoon tea, and afterward have a talk about behavior toward others.

What you need:

• A copy of The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
• A carpet or common sitting space

How you do it:

• Read the story to your children.
• Afterward, ask the children to discuss the following thoughts.
• Which words would they use to describe the tiger? Why?
• What impact does the tiger’s behaviour have on Sophie and her family?
• What do the children think of how Sophie’s father reacts to the tiger? Were they surprised that the father didn’t get angry?
• Why do the children think the tiger doesn’t visit Sophie again? Was the tiger real?
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2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The storytelling idea: You’ll read aloud Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, about a very hungry caterpillar, and respond to the story through movement.

What you need:

• A copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• A carpet or common sitting space

How you do it:

• Read the story to your children, and explain that they are going to help dramatize the events of the story through movement.
• Ask them to curl up like a caterpillar in an egg on a leaf.
• Next, they should “pop” out of the egg — How can they look hungry in the way they move?
• Now get them to chomp through various foods, and then show that they are still hungry.
• At any point, you may want to pause to help your children think through how they can express these actions and feelings.
• At the end of the story, get the children to become butterflies and “fly” around the room in the way a butterfly would.
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3. Not Now Bernard

The storytelling idea: You’ll read aloud David McKee’s Not Now Bernard, about a boy named Bernard who is eaten by a monster (which goes unnoticed by his parents), and afterward have a talk about how we relate to our parents.

What you need:

• A copy of Not Now Bernard by David McKee
• A carpet or common sitting space

How you do it:

• Read the story to your children.
• Afterward, ask the children to discuss the following thoughts.
• Why do Bernard’s mother and father always say “Not now, Bernard” to him?
• Do their own parents ever say “Not now” to them? Why might they say this?
• Discuss what happens as a result of Bernard’s parents not listening to him.
• What do the children think the characters in the story could have done differently?
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4. We’re Going On a Bear Hunt

The storytelling idea: You’ll read aloud Michael Rosen’s We’re Going On a Bear Hunt, a playful, song-like tale about a group of children encountering a bear, and will help the children develop a pantomimed performance to accompany the story. Optionally, you can help prepare your children to present their performance in front of a parent audience.

What you need:

• A copy of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
• An open space, with room for movement
• (Optional) A parent audience

How you do it:

• Read the story to your children and talk about the events of the story — Which noises or movements would go well with certain moments in the story?
• Many moments in the story use onomatopoeia like “splish splosh,” and children can think about how they might turn these noises into movements.
• (Optional) Help your children practice their accompanying performance, and invite a parent audience for a performance of the story.
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5. Talking About the Past

The storytelling idea: Children’s elder family members will be invited into your child care center for a history-focused story session, as they recount their memories of childhood and events in the past.

What you need:

• Willing parents or grandparents
• A short list of interesting historical trends and events

How you do it:

• Ask among your families to find any parents or grandparents who are willing to come and talk to your children about the past, and arrange for a visit.
• Help the children prepare a list of questions for your guest, encouraging them to think about how life may have been different in the past.
• The theme of the talk might tie in with a commemoration of a historic event.
• Encourage your visitors to bring in items from their childhood or past, for instance a ration book from World War II or an old-fashioned rotary phone.
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6. Modelling Behaviors

The storytelling idea: Staff model behaviors through a series of scenes that explore acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

What you’ll need:

• Two staff members
• A carpet or common sitting space

How you do it:

• Explain to the children that you are going to model some situations where behavior might be wrong, to see what that might look like.
• Get staff to role play a series of behaviors modeling bad conduct, for instance snatching a toy from another child, or refusing to let one child play as part of a group.
• Encourage the children to talk about what is going on. Why is this behavior not okay?
• Ask the children to reflect on how they would feel in each situation.
• Finally, ask the children what they could do differently in these situations to achieve a better outcome?
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7. Deconstructed Role Play

The storytelling idea: Children will be challenged to develop their own role play scenes and stories using open-ended recycled materials as props.

What you need:

• An open space
• Large cardboard boxes
• Sheets
• Planks
• Crates
• Other open-ended craft materials of your choosing

How you do it:

• Clear your open space, then supply it with your collection of craft materials
• When the children arrive, explain that it is up to them what they make of the various materials on offer.
• Talk together about different scenes or topics they might want to develop. This could be based on their interests — For instance, superhero role play or exploring the idea of space by creating a rocket ship.
• Support their play and understanding by playing alongside them and encouraging shared thinking.
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8. Musical Imagination

The storytelling idea: Children respond imaginatively to a piece of music, exploring what sort of a mood it projects, and how it makes them feel.

What you need:

• A CD player, Bluetooth speaker or laptop
• Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (Downloadable and streamable online)
• Open space
• Art supplies

How you do it:

• Explain to the children that you are going to play them a piece of music that creates a very specific mood. Ask them to close their eyes so that they can concentrate on the music.
• As they listen, encourage them to think about what the music makes them feel, and whether it makes them imagine any specific settings, characters or stories.
• When the song is over, ask the children to respond using various art forms — They might dramatise the music, create a piece of art in response, or you might get the whole group moving around the room to show them how the music makes them feel.
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9. Thinking About Listening

The storytelling idea: Take time to talk about listening with the children, and discuss why it’s important.

What you need:

• Carpet or common sitting space for discussion

How you do it:

• Talk about ‘good listening behavior’ during carpet time.
• How can we tell if someone is listening to us? What can we do to show someone else that we are listening to them?
• Why do we need to keep our hands and feet to ourselves when we are on the carpet?
• What should we do if we want to ask something during a whole class discussion?
• Why is it important not to talk when someone else is speaking?