National Storytelling Week in your school
A guide to an amazing National Storytelling Week
With National Storytelling Week just around the corner, it’s time for SBMs to think about how to immerse children in sharing stories and storytelling. National Storytelling Week starts from the 1 February - 9 February, so it is crucial to plan for this week now. Every day throughout the week is an opportunity to focus on the power of storytelling.
To help you with getting your school involved, we have listed some ideas to incorporate National Storytelling Week in your school. These ideas will guarantee students a love and passion for stories and storytelling.
Expand children’s story genres
The best way to celebrate National Storytelling Week is to read. To get children interested in reading throughout the week, expand their reading skills through offering a variety of genres. This could be in the school library if you have one or give a variety of books to staff to put in their classrooms.
The perfect way to accomplish this is through reading packs that offer different genres for children to read at the appropriate reading level. Children can delve into something they’re not usually interested in and open their minds to various forms of literature. This makes sure that children improve their reading skills and expand their knowledge. Plus, it can lead to students enjoying other genres, creating a passion for reading.
Share stories through audio
In 2022 37% of children stated they prefer to listen to books and stories via audio (literacytrust). To entice children into the world of storytelling, advise staff to find suitable audio books. You could refer them to a specific audio book app to help them find the right stories for their class. Sharing stories through audio suits children more as they can fully immerse themselves into the story. It cuts out the huge task of understanding what words can mean. This especially affects younger children as they are not confident readers yet.
Find podcasts that share stories to advise staff to use during National Storytelling Week. Podcasts are increasingly becoming popular and can assist children with critically analysing text through conversation. They can also help children with their own ideas and thoughts when it comes to creative writing.
Readjust the setting of classrooms
To immerse students into reading, storytelling and writing, it is crucial for classrooms to be set up correctly. Storytelling is a very group-focused exercise with occasional independent work. For National Storytelling Week, it is important for classrooms to reflect this type of learning. Make staff aware of this and help them readjust their classroom if needed.
Classrooms should have all the tables together with flexible seating. This allows students to sit wherever they want each day. Flexible seating allows them to work with other children each day and socialise too. Also, ensure to have dedicated reading corners in classrooms, if they don’t have one already to encourage independent reading. It can also make a great space for storytelling in small groups. Stock up on bookcases full of various books to choose from and comfy seating such as beanbags.
Make staff aware that having plenty of space at the front of the classroom allows space for class storytelling and reading. Offer them cushions for children to sit on the floor so they can be fully immersed in what they are learning.
Allow children to delve into role-play
To ensure children have the most fun with storytelling, encourage staff to introduce role-play to students. It can be as simple as acting stories out, provide your school with some role-play props and costume to immerse students in the role-play process.
Children should be encouraged to get into the story by changing their tone of voice and incorporating their body language. Give each class in your school time to practise and consider holding a show where every class can perform to the whole school. Set up the school stage with moveable scenery and celebrate National Storytelling Week with an enjoyable performance that everyone will love.
Hold a writing competition
A perfect way to celebrate storytelling in this guide to an amazing National Storytelling Week is through writing stories. To interest students in writing, you could run a school wide competition. The winner should receive a prize that excites students to encourage them to participate. An idea for a prize could be a book of the student's choice.
The competition can be up to the children, or you could give a few prompts to choose from to help the reluctant writers in the school.
If possible, you could team up with a local children’s writing competition and enter your school. These tend to be for various schools across the country or area so are a great way to partake in writing stories. Plus, the prizes are usually amazing for children too, and a selection can be published in a book or newspaper.
Use these National Storytelling Week ideas for your school to enhance your students learning and develop their core reading, listening and writing skills. There are plenty of ways to get children to share stories during the week and beyond. Stories don’t have to be shared through reading, so make staff and students aware of this. This will encourage reluctant readers to get involved with storytelling.
Celebrating National Storytelling Week in your school will ensure that students enjoy and love storytelling.
To further encourage students with telling their own stories through writing, take a look at our ‘writing essentials for your school’ blog. Discover everything your school needs for children to express themselves and their stories in time for these storytelling activities.
