My Story Box
Here's What To Do
Give your child a small box with a lid or cover. (Optional: decorate the box.) Cut several small pieces of paper that will go inside the box.
Together with your child, think of some words they know and write one word on each piece of paper. You'll use these words to tell stories, so try to have words that represent characters (people or animals), settings (places), objects, and verbs (actions).
Put the words in the box. Have your child shake the box and pull out 3-5 words. Work together to tell a short story using the words from the box. Write your story on a piece of paper, then read it back when you're finished.
Repeat! How many different stories can you make with the words in the box? (Optional) Over time, you can add new words your child learns to the box.
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Take a deep breath in and reach up to the sky. Exhale and touch your toes.
Engage:
- "We're going to add some words to this box to help us tell stories. Can you give me some ideas for characters, like people, or animals, that I should write down?"
- "Pick three words from the box. Okay let's read them. We have frog, truck, and moon. Can you tell a story with a frog, a truck, and the moon?"
Encourage:
- Prompt your child to add more details to the story (like: adjectives to describe things, more characters, etc.).
- Build off your child's ideas and go along with their story, even if it doesn't make much sense.
Reflect:
- Read your stories back to your child. Are they fun to listen to?
Not quite ready?
Pick one word out of the box and see if your child can tell a very short story using that word.
Ready for more?
Add other types of words to the box, like adjectives and prepositions. See if your child can incorporate these into a story.
As your child masters this skill...
They will be able to 'write' a story (that an adult writes down for them).