Stories are a great way of creating a joyful learning environment! This is the first of a 2-part series, where I’ll explore simple, fun and engaging story-creating activities that you can use to inspire your young learners.
Activity 1: Describe the setting
Before starting any story-creating activity, it’s important to get children into the right frame of mind. Story warmers are activities that can help introduce children to the basic elements of a story, such as the setting and the characters.
For example, the teacher might announce that they are going to tell a story that takes place in a jungle. Encourage your students to describe the jungle, to tell each other what they ‘see’, and to imitate the sounds that they can ‘hear’.
Activity 2: How do they feel?
Encourage the children to describe the emotions of characters in familiar stories. Get them to mimic or act out the actions or reactions of the characters. For example, ask children to describe or act out the reactions of the characters in these situations:
The Three Bears discovered Goldilocks sleeping on their beds.
Big Bad Wolf tried to eat Little Red Riding Hood.
Activity 3: Draw the music
This activity combines arts, music and story-making. Give the children a piece of paper, a pencil and some crayons. Then, play some music. Let the children ‘feel’ the music for a few seconds. Ask them to ‘draw’ the music. Which people, places, or events does the music remind them of? Depending on their ability, encourage them to write 2 words, a short caption or a paragraph. Let the children share their pictures with the rest of the class. This activity is great for teaching children about the notions of mood and emotion in a story. For example, happy music will elicit happy drawings and happy captions, and scary, gloomy music will result in a completely different set of feelings.
Activity 4: Mental picture dictation
This activity lets children practice descriptive languages that are necessary for story-telling. Bring an interesting picture into the classroom, then describe it to the class without revealing it. Working in small groups, encourage the children to write a short description of the picture, based on what they have heard. Each group will share their description with the rest of the class. After everyone has shared their interpretation, the teacher reveals the picture. Children can compare how close their construal matches the image.
I hope this has inspired you and your class to get creative! Always remember to partake in the children’s activities … it’s a great way immerse yourself in their world. Which stories do you remember reading as a child? I look forward to giving you more handy hints next time!