Tag: Hidden

Bring stories to life!

Using props in storytelling with young children can be a fantastic way to make a story come alive, creating a more dynamic and engaging experience. Props can be fun, colourful, and interactive – capturing children’s attention and sparking imagination.

Props can be used to illustrate different characters, objects, and events in the story. If you are telling a story about a farm, something as simple as using toy animals can illustrate the story’s different characters and events. This can help the children to visualise the story and create a more vivid mental image of what is happening.

In addition to illustrating the story’s characters and objects, props can also be used to engage children in the storytelling process. For example, you could give the children simple props to hold or interact with as you tell the story, encouraging them to participate in the narrative. This can build their imagination, creativity, communication, and language skills.

Furthermore, using props can also offer tangible tools that children can manipulate when retelling familiar stories. Providing physical objects that can be touched and moved around can help children remember the details of the story and retell it with more confidence and accuracy.

Start simple! Introduce a prop with a story, then create time and space for the children to explore the story with the related props. They may use the props to recall and retell what they have heard, or get imaginative as they tell their own tales.

To help inspire your storytelling, we have curated examples that demonstrate ten techniques for storytelling – all assured to enhance imagination, creativity, and the joy of reading with readers of all ages!

Top ten techniques for storytelling with children

Get your copy

Develop language through stories

Post author By Toddle
Post date March 13, 2023
No Comments on Develop language through stories

Phonological awareness, the awareness of all the sounds of a language and the ability to hear and distinguish these sounds, is the building block for aspiring readers.

What does this look like in the early learner?

Recognising and distinguishing between environmental sounds, for example, a dog barking and a telephone ringing
Hear the initial sound of a word (m-ummy, c-ake)
Clap out 1, 2 then 3 syllable words (car, cooker, computer)
Match rhyming words orally (hat, cat, mat)
Segment CVC words orally (zip – z/i/p)
Blend sounds to make words orally (c/u/p – cup)

Stories can provide a context for children to practise recognising and manipulating the sounds of language in a fun and engaging way. Here are some examples of how stories can be used to discreetly develop phonological awareness:

Rhyme time: Read rhyming books with children and encourage them to identify words that rhyme. You can also create your own silly rhymes with children, asking them to come up with words that rhyme with different sounds.
Sound hunt: Choose a particular sound and ask children to listen for it as you read a story. For example, if you choose the “s” sound, ask children to listen for words that begin with “s” or have an “s” sound in the middle or end of the word.
Alliteration antics: Start with the child’s name. How many objects can they find with the same initial sound? What action or describing words can they add to make funny phrases that are alliterations? Sara, socks, silly, stripy can quite easily become Sara’s stripy socks are silly! Generate some nonsense alliterations in a fun way!
Phoneme swap: Choose a word in the story and ask children to change one sound to make a new word. For example, if the word is “cat,” ask children to change the “c” to a “h” to make “hat.”
Syllable clapping: Ask children to clap or stomp for each syllable in a word or phrase as you read it. For example, if you read the phrase “once upon a time,” children would clap four times – once for each syllable in “once,” “up-on,” “a”, and “time.”

By incorporating these types of aural activities into story time, you can help children develop their phonological awareness in a fun and engaging way. This can help set them on the path to becoming confident and capable readers.

Download and discover a range of picture books to use in your read-alouds with aspiring readers!

Forty fantastic fictions for phonological fun

Download now

The benefits of reading together

Post author By Toddle
Post date March 13, 2023
No Comments on The benefits of reading together

Reading is often perceived as something that occurs as the child gets ‘school-ready’ – a way to prepare for formal reading instruction; letter and sound learning, decoding and reading text. But what about reading for pleasure? Recent research highlights the importance of reading to children from a young age, as early as babies! These studies discuss the benefits that range from communication and language skills, understanding the world, and personal, social and emotional development.

Through reading together:

A bond is formed between the adult and the child
Language patterns (rhythm, rhyme, and sounds) of a language are heard
New words or phrases are introduced and become part of daily interactions
Print awareness and story structure is developed
Opportunities for discussion are created, as new ideas are explored
Different perspectives are shared, developing empathy, and understanding
Curiosity about words, and a love for reading is nurtured

If that’s not enough – reading aloud benefits children’s vocabulary, pronunciation, comprehension, listening skills, reading skills, speaking skills, and critical thinking skills.

What’s NOT to love?!

Stories don’t just need to be read word-for-word; they can be poked, prodded, and teased out!

When sharing a book, try some of the following ways to engage the child as an active participant:

Play around with expressions: As you put on voices for each of the characters, go high, low, loud, and quiet – this will keep the child listening!
Add actions: For stories with repeating words and phrases, children can listen for a word, and then do a related action. For babies and younger children, this action could be a tickle, a gesture, or a specific way you touch their body.
Receptive language: Children around 2-years old are building their receptive language skills. Look for objects on the page that they can point out as you ask, ‘Do you see…’, “Where is…’, ‘Can you find…’
Add sound: Use voice to create environmental sounds as you beep-beep, moo, and r-r-r-rumble your way through a story.
What next: By 3 years of age, children are beginning to make predictions. Before you turn the page, invite them to consider what might happen next!
Let imagination run wild: Play around with story ideas as you create alternative endings together, change the characters, and add dialogue – this is especially helpful for 4-6-year olds whose imagination is starting to flourish.These skills will all be useful when your child starts to write their own narratives.
Focus on pictures: Pour over illustrations to give additional insights into the story. What can be seen on the page that furthers the story? What do the images tell you about the character’s life? Where can children make connections with their own experiences?
Picture prompts:Invite the child to tell the story, using the pictures. How does this then resemble what is written in the text?

Stories can be read several times to a child, each time with a different approach. As the child becomes more familiar with the story, you will see an increased confidence as they pick up books. One of my favourite sights is when a child picks up a book and finds a space to get cosy and ‘read’ it by themselves. The gift of reading for pleasure!

Download this poster set to discover ways to read with children at different stages of development.

Poster set highlighting ways to read with children

Download now

Nurture a love for reading

Post author By Toddle
Post date March 13, 2023
No Comments on Nurture a love for reading

We are celebrating all things stories, and most importantly, how to nurture a love for reading. A great starting point is to reflect on the concept of the child as a reader and ask yourself, when does the child become a ‘reader’?

It is important to understand that reading is a developmental process that occurs over time. Children typically begin to develop pre-reading skills, such as an awareness of print, as early as infancy. As they grow and develop, they begin to understand the relationship between spoken and written language and the sounds that make up words.

While decoding is an important aspect of reading, it is not the only factor that determines whether a child is a reader. A child can still be a reader even if they cannot yet decode words. Reading involves making meaning from text, and this can be done through various means, such as looking at pictures, retelling a story, or predicting what will happen next.

If we want children to believe they are capable, then we should begin by positioning them as capable! Let’s start by breaking down the concepts of print, and how the child may show understanding of this. Let’s explore the pre-reading skills needed through the development of phonological awareness.

Consider the little steps that are taken on the path to reading, and how from the very beginning, you can empower children to see themselves as capable readers! Be aware of the stepping stones that line the path of early literacy, and use these to celebrate the small achievements as the child becomes a reader.

Download this reading continuum to monitor children’s reading abilities at different ages.

Developmental reading continuum for ages 1 - 6

Download now

Celebrating Stories – Your Guide to Storytelling in the Early Years

Post author By Toddle
Post date March 13, 2023
No Comments on Celebrating Stories – Your Guide to Storytelling in the Early Years

Did you know, that the first children’s picture book was published over 350 years ago?

_{Orbis sensualium pictus (Jan Komenský, 1659)}

Yet, it was only in the late 20th century, that children’s picture books developed as a tool for interaction; a source to engage, inform and delight! From flaps to lift and textured pages, to pop-ups and rich illustrations, picture books are now a must-have in any Early Years setting, as well as being a feature in children’s homes.

With this guide, you are invited to think about picture books, and how you use stories to enhance the development of communication and language with your learners. These questions will help you reflect on your practice and examine your own approach and interactions during story sessions:

What are the benefits of reading with children?
How can we make full use of books as a tool to develop language and communication?
How can we make stories come alive to foster a lifelong love of reading?

Who is this resource for?

Early years educators looking to enhance their use of picture books in the classroom
Early childhood leaders looking to provoke discussions with teams on developing literacy
Early years administrators working with families to develop literacy skills at home

In this resource, you will get

_{Photo credit: pexels, Karolina Grabowska}

The Building Blocks of Fine Motor Skills

Post author By Toddle
Post date March 6, 2023
No Comments on The Building Blocks of Fine Motor Skills

The hands, body, and the brain

Rudolf Steiner (1974) observed that the young child is “…wholly a sense organ,” meaning that they are engaged in whole-body learning using all of their senses. This stands true even for the development of fine motor skills. When we nurture the movement of children’s small muscles, we need to also provide them with the freedom to explore, opportunities for free play beyond the walls of their classrooms, and the invitation to make real world connections. To put it simply, we are not just engaging the hands, but also working with the brain and whole body.

So, how do the hands, body, and brain work together?

It is a misconception to think that skills develop independently in the body. All parts of the body are interconnected, they work together and they all affect each other.

The Hands 🤚

One hand emerges as the dominant hand and the other becomes the helper hand.
They work together to grasp, pick up, release imitate, and copy patterns.
They develop strength, speed, and accuracy to improve efficiency with tasks.

The Body 👤

Fine motor skills develop once the body starts to move and become more stable.
Muscular strength is required to initiate movements and endurance is needed to continue for multiple efforts.
A strong core is needed to support steady hands.

The Brain 🧠

Makes connections and gets certain parts of the body to work together to make movements happen.
Comes up with a plan, passes this on to the body and then checks to see if the plan worked.
Stores memory of physical experiences so it can be used next time.

Where do we observe the hand, body, and mind at work?

We see fine motor skills in action everyday! Many of the daily routines children engage in involve the use of fine motor skills: getting dressed, opening a lunchbox, and climbing the jungle gym. These skills involve coordinated efforts between their fingers, hands, and eyes, and can be observed in earlier stages when babies grasp a rattle and then as they eventually evolve to more complex skills like using scissors, manipulating a computer mouse, and more.

In partnership with the development of fine motor skills is the growth of independence, as children undertake small routine tasks by themselves. Empowering agency begins with, “I can…” a powerful statement that can be celebrated as children declare, “I can button my jacket!” or “I can peel the orange myself!”

Here is a comprehensive fine motor skills development checklist across age groups to help you track children’s progress effortlessly. You can also encourage children to assess their own developmental journey by using the self-assessment checklist with ‘I can statements’. Use them to spot areas of success and potential challenges. As you use this, keep in mind that all children are unique individuals and that they develop at their own pace.

Use these visual checklists to map fine motor development

Download now