This half term, our enquiry question has been “How do we learn from stories?” Through sharing high-quality texts, storytelling, and imaginative play, the children have explored how stories can teach us about the world, help us solve problems, and spark new ideas and interests.
After introducing each story, the children have played an important role in leading the direction of their learning. We have encouraged them to share what they are curious about, what they would like to find out more about, and which parts of the story inspired them most. By following the children’s interests, learning has developed naturally through play, discussion, investigation, creative activities, and exploration both indoors and outdoors.
This child-led approach has supported the children in developing their communication and language skills, confidence, imagination, and independence whilst fostering a love of stories and learning.
Week 1 – Six-Dinner Sid
This week, the children thoroughly enjoyed sharing the heartwarming story of the sneaky cat in Six-Dinner Sid. They loved discovering how Sid visited six different homes and was cared for by lots of different families. The children were especially interested in the different houses Sid lived in and began asking questions about how homes can vary from one another.
Following the children’s interests, we explored different types of homes from around the world and discussed how homes can look different depending on where people live. The children talked about their own homes and compared them to homes they had seen in stories and pictures.
Throughout the week, the children used a range of creative materials and construction resources to design and build homes for Sid. They drew and painted pictures of houses and used blocks and small world resources to create their own imaginative homes, developing their creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills through play.
Week 2 – Cinderella
This week, the children thoroughly enjoyed listening to Cinderella and were fascinated by the way Cinderella slept beside the fire in the kitchen. This sparked lots of discussion about homes from the past and how they are different from our homes today.
Following the children’s interests, we explored how homes have changed over time and compared Cinderella’s home to our own homes. The children examined artefacts from the past and discussed how people used everyday objects differently many years ago.
Through creative activities, the children designed and made their own candlesticks and glass slippers, developing their fine motor skills, imagination, and creativity. We also extended the children’s thinking by comparing Cinderella’s ball to modern-day parties and celebrations. The children talked about how parties today might be similar or different and discussed the different types of clothing people wear for special occasions. These conversations helped to develop children’s communication and language skills whilst encouraging them to think about changes over time and the world around them.
Week 3 – The Tiger Who Came to Tea
This week, the children loved listening to The Tiger Who Came to Tea. After sharing the story, many of the children were concerned that the tiger did not know how to share and noticed that he ate all of Sophie’s food. This led to thoughtful discussions about kindness, sharing, and helping others.
Following the children’s ideas and interests, we worked as designers and problem-solvers to create things that could help the tiger learn to share and make sure there was enough food for everyone. The children designed and made enormous cups and plates for the tiger, thinking carefully about how much food and drink he would need.
In the dough area, the children made a range of food for the tiger, developing their creativity and fine motor skills through imaginative play. In the role-play café, the children enjoyed pretending to help Sophie by preparing food and serving meals for customers. These experiences encouraged collaboration, communication, and storytelling whilst building on the children’s understanding of the story.
