This week, we have been celebrating Storytelling Week in our Early Years. Our theme has been Fables, where the children have had the wonderful opportunity to learn and perform a fable for their peers in other EYFS classes. This engaging event has allowed the children to immerse themselves in storytelling, enhancing their understanding of narrative while fostering a sense of community within our school.
Storytelling plays a crucial role in a child's development. It not only ignites their imagination but also enhances language skills and builds confidence. Through stories, children learn to express their thoughts and emotions, making connections with characters and events that resonate with their own experiences. This week, the children listened to a carefully chosen fable, exploring its themes and morals, which often involve important life lessons such as kindness, honesty, and the value of friendship.
The fable we focused on was not just a story but a tool for learning. After discussing the main characters and plot, the children engaged in a variety of activities, including group discussions, role-playing, and art projects that allowed them to express their interpretations visually. These activities helped reinforce their understanding of the fable's message while allowing them to engage creatively.
We introduced the "Talk for Writing" technique, which encourages children to verbalise their thoughts before putting pen to paper. This method is instrumental in helping children structure their stories, understand narrative elements, and develop a richer vocabulary. By discussing the fable in detail, the children practiced important language skills such as sequencing events, describing characters, and expressing their ideas clearly. This technique not only enhances their storytelling abilities but also supports their overall literacy development, making them more confident in their communication skills.
As part of the storytelling process, the children were encouraged to share their own experiences related to the themes of the fable. This sharing not only helped them connect personally with the story but also fostered listening skills as they learned from their peers. The performances in front of their friends were a highlight of the week, allowing them to showcase their creativity and build confidence in public speaking.
Through these activities, the children have not only gained confidence in storytelling but also enhanced their communication skills, which are essential for their future learning. We believe that fostering a love for stories at this young age lays a strong foundation for lifelong learning and curiosity.
Pre-Nursery has thoroughly enjoyed Storytelling Week, especially exploring the fable "The Lion and the Mouse." A highlight of the week was moving around like both a lion and a mouse. Our Book Day was a fantastic success, with the children looking wonderful in their character costumes. The children also participated in a book swap, bringing in old books to exchange for new ones to take home. To cap off the week, we performed our fables for the other EYFS classes. The Pre-Nursery children remembered key words from the story and had a great time incorporating actions and sound effects into their performances. It has been a week full of creativity and fun.
This week in Nursery was filled with excitement as we've immersed ourselves in our Storytelling week activities! From book swaps to costume day, it’s been a fantastic celebration of stories. Our focus for the week has been the timeless fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare." Using the "Talk for Writing" technique, the children have not only learned the story sequence but have also acted it out, truly bringing it to life. It's been a joy to watch them embody the determined Tortoise and the speedy, yet easily distracted, Hare. They’ve also been busy crafting props for their performances, adding an extra splash of creativity and fun to our storytelling experience.
This week, Reception celebrated Storytelling Week by exploring 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf', where the children enthusiastically invented their own actions to accompany the tale. We also delved into various fables, discussing the morals behind them, which sparked the children's creativity as they began inventing alternate endings. In Phonics, we reviewed our digraph and trigraph sounds, blending words and practising their different sounds. In Maths, we introduced positional language, helping the children understand and correctly use prepositions in context.
