Make a story box

A story box is a great tool for supporting your child to develop their oral literacy.

• Begin by having the children decorate a small sized box
• You could use pictures from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt or just question marks to build anticipation
• Choose one item to go in the box, a bear, a 'magic' feather, a missing hat
• Unveil the item with the children
• Model how to develop a narrative by asking: 'Who do you think could live in a cave like this? A bear... you're right, a big, brown bear lives in this home and his name is..."
• Think about which open-ended questions could develop the story line:
   
  • What will he eat for his tea?
  • Who does he live with?
  • What do you think happened to him?
  • Who might this belong to?
  • How do you think he was feeling?
  • What do you think happened next?

Once your child is confident in developing a story with you, ask them to choose the object in the box and begin telling the story themselves.