How Do We Learn From Stories?
When we introduced our new enquiry, How Do We Learn From Stories?, we began by talking about what we already knew about stories.
The children told us:
- “My mam reads me a story.”
- “I like story time at school.”
- “You can choose a story.”
- “Stories have people in them.”
- “Sometimes they have animals.”
As we shared our ideas, we started to wonder:
- Are stories true?
- Can stories help us?
- What can we learn from stories?
- Why do things happen in stories?
Together, we decided to find out what each story could teach us.
Week 1 – 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.
“The tiger ate all of the food!” “He was very hungry” “He never shared”
“He drank Daddy’s Beer” “Mammy was sad” “They had tea in the cafe”
We wondered….
- Why did he come?
- Where did he come from?
- Would you let a tiger in?
- How can we share?
Following the children’s ideas and interests in making sure everyone had enough, 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.
What did the story teach us?
The children decided our first book taught us that ..
- Sharing is caring
- Be kind
- take turns
- Never eat it all
Week 2 – Six dinner Sid
What did we wonder?
The children loved discovering that Sid had six different homes and six different families caring for him.
They said:
- “Sid had lots of homes.”
- “He had six different beds.”
- “He likes to trick people.”
This led to questions such as:
- Where do pets sleep?
- Why does Sid have different beds?
- How many people live in a house?
- Are all homes the same?
Where did this take us?
The children noticed….
Some homes have stairs
some only have one room
Sine have more than one toilet.
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.
What did the story teach us?
- Everyone home is differnt
- Families are different
- We all like different things
Week 3– Cinderella
What did we wonder?
The children quickly noticed that Cinderella’s life looked very different from their own.
They said:
- “She didn’t have a car.”
- “She slept by the fire.”
- “Her dress changed.”
- “She had a candle.”
This led to questions:
- Do people really live in castles?
- Why did her house look different?
- How did people travel without cars?
- What is a ball?
- Why were the stepsisters so mean?
Where did this take us?
The children’s curiosity about Cinderella’s home led us to explore homes from the past.
They examined artefacts, compared old and modern homes, and discovered how people lived before many of the things we use today existed.
Their fascination with castles also led them to explore Buckingham Palace and learn about the Royal Family.
What did we learn?
The children decided this story taught us:
- Homes have changed over time.
- Balls were special celebrations.
- Stories can teach us about the past.
- Life used to be different.
Week 4 – Jack and the Beanstalk
What did we wonder?
When the children arrived at school, they discovered giant footprints and a mysterious gift of beans.
Immediately, they began asking:
- Did the Giant leave these?
- How did the Giant get into school?
- Will the beans grow?
- Will he come back?
- What does a Giant look like?
Where did this take us?
The children decided to investigate whether the beans were real by planting them and observing what happened.
They made predictions, drew what they thought might grow and carefully watched for changes.
Their curiosity about the Giant led them to compare footprints, measure them using blocks and create their own giant drawings.
What did we learn?
The children reflected that this story taught them:
Being brave can help solve problems.
Magic makes stories exciting.
Jack had to be clever.
Beans can grow into plants.
Week 5 – Super worm
WWhat did we wonder?
After reading Superworm, the children became fascinated by worms.
They asked:
- Is Superworm real?
- What do worms look like?
- How do worms move?
- Where do worms live?
- What do worms eat?
- How long can worms grow?
Where did this take us?
The children explored the garden and observed worms in our wormery.
They carefully watched how worms moved and drew pictures to record what they noticed.
Their interest in movement led them to imitate worms during music sessions, using words such as wriggle, squirm, twist and stretch.
As they researched worms, they discovered many surprising facts and were excited to share these with their friends.
What did we learn?
The children found out that:
- Worms live underground.
- Worms help the soil.
- Worms move by wriggling.
- Worms have several hearts.
- Worms are important living things.
Picnic Celebration: What Did We Learn From Stories?
At the end of our enquiry, Superworm invited us to a special picnic to celebrate everything we had learned.
Together we returned to our original question:
Can we learn things from stories?
The children confidently answered:
- “Yes, because I learned worms have lots of hearts.”
- “I learned beans take ages to grow.”
- “I learned cats need food and Six-Dinner Sid had lots of dinners.”
- “I learned it’s good to be kind like Cinderella.”
- “Books help us learn new things.”
Through our enquiry, the children discovered that stories can teach us many different things. Some stories taught us about kindness and friendship, while others taught us about homes, the past, plants and even worms.
By the end of the half term, the children concluded that stories are not just entertaining—they help us learn about the world around us.
