The Storyteller pack is a toolkit developed to support our partners to share stories with families. It can be used in settings with families as part of group storytelling sessions, or with individual families at home.
You can share the books, use props to help bring them to life, and explore the activity cards for further suggestions on how to extend the stories.
Help families to see how they can replicate the storytelling experience at home by pointing out what you’re doing, building their confidence, and emphasising that it doesn’t need to be perfect for their child to enjoy it!
Books are not a natural part of family life for everyone. By showing families how fun and easy sharing stories can be, as well as helping them understand how it makes a difference, you can play a pivotal role in starting them on their own reading journeys.
You might try:
- Letting families know that there’s no ‘wrong way’ to enjoy stories and books together. They don’t have to sit quietly and read a book cover-to-cover – just looking at the pictures and chatting about what they see can open up a whole new world for their child.
- Showing families how sharing stories can start conversations with their child, how books and stories can be a catalyst to having different conversations – about their feelings, about what they see in the park, about the weather, about near-enough anything!
- Pointing out to parents and carers where their little one is enjoying the story, even in unexpected ways – looking at the pictures, laughing at silly voices – and reassure them that their child is getting something out of it.
- Letting families know that reading doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s about enjoying books and stories together in any way that works for them.
