What Happens Next?
Here's What To Do
1
With your child, come up with a new ending for a story, song or dance.
2
Allow your child to take the lead on making the connection between what took place before and what they’d like to include for the new ending.
3
Don’t hesitate to be silly! The ending doesn’t need to make sense!
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Help your child to focus by using their favorite calming strategy such as stretching or deep breathing.
E
Engage:
- “After we read this story/ sing this song/ do this dance we’ll add another part to it so pay attention, so you can see what you think is best to add.”
- “What did you notice about that story/ song/ dance? What do you want to add or change next?”
E
Encourage:
- Help your child to make connections between the existing story, dance or song lyrics, and what they might want to add or change. Model for them first if they need help.
- “The ___ is about ___. At the end, ___ happens. Let’s think of something that would go with that.”
R
Reflect:
- “How did you decide to add ___?”
Not quite ready?
Give your child two choices to help them decide what to add at the end.
Ready for more?
After reading a story, your child can create an alternate ending.
As your child masters this skill...
They will create new artistic expressions from past artistic expressions.