It is possible that the story your child tells may test your idea of what a story is. Early stories from young children can be just one word, or a few short sentences, or a list. That is fine. For children to grow into confident storytellers they need to be able to tell their stories freely, without interruptions, to trust that whatever they say will be written down and acted out. Try Not to Interrupt Meanwhile, in another nursery, I was told a story by a 3-year-old Polish boy, who spoke very little English. It’s about celebrating the poetry of children’s language, as well as the way they speak and act,” says Trisha. When children start to write sentences, I include these in the acting out, sometimes getting the children to read their writing to me before we sit around the stage so I can best do it justice. My current Year 1 class are now regularly writing a whole side of A5 paper when it is not their turn to be scribed. These stories are all acted out alongside the scribed stories.

Each unit includes actual footage of children aged 2 – 7 years old, engaging with Helicopter Stories. Lifetime access to thirty-six online videos demonstrating poems and actions across the seasons for you to share with your children. In short, Helicopter Stories provide excitement and creativity that has children rushing to put pen to paper, even if they’re not able to do the actual writing yet. It’s all about giving children exposure to language, vocabulary and grammar - in as many ways as you can. I once had a child create a story about the tragedy of 9/11, and I was a little worried,” admits Trish. “It was a powerful story, and the child who told it wanted to be the plane [...] It turned out to be one of the most powerful stories I have ever seen.” Below are some of the points for parents and carers that are included in Helicopter Stories at Home. Listening To Your Child’s StorySaying a poem out loud emphasises the sounds and rhythms of language or the syllables contained in each word, a vital part of learning to read. The personal, social and emotional benefits of Helicopter Stories continue to astound me with every new anecdote I hear. The process is simple, and can be easily incorporated into any setting on a daily or weekly basis, and the only ingredients required are a roll of masking tape, A5 paper and a practitioner rich in curiosity. Vivian’s research has shaped the way we think about fantasy play and storytelling. Throughout her teaching career, Vivian reflected on the events of her classroom. She wrote thirteen books and numerous articles based on her observations of the children she worked with and on the significant role Storytelling and Story Acting played in her understanding of their needs. Later, if you want to, as it’s Helicopter Stories at Home, you can write your own story too, and maybe act that out with your children as well. Or you could ask your child if they would like to scribe your story too. It doesn’t matter if it is in emergent writing or they can’t spell some of the words. Between the two of you, when you act it out, you will remember what it said. Write Your Child’s Words Exactly Two children from around the stage came up to take on the role of her parents. Another group of six children created the walls of her bedroom. They stood around her, forming a prison. The girl in the story looked out through the walls of children, peering at the class with the saddest of eyes. Martha was in her element.

With many schools and nurseries closed, or remaining open for only a small section of their community, we’ve had several requests for information about our Helicopter Stories at Home programme, in a format that can be passed on to parents. Read an introductory story, stopping after the first sentence to enable children to begin acting out the roles. Traditional storytelling itself is magical - it lets children use their imagination, and lets their creativity soar as they visualise the story. All that creativity and imagination is a tool for children to explore the world they’ve just been brought into - even if it’s just exploring that mummy works in a hospital.“Stories help children make sense of the world,” says Trisha. I introduced the first poem, Chop Chop, to a group of children. They were instantly engaged. The actions and the simplicity of the poems makes them so accessible. Our setting has a high level of children with speech and language issues, and they love The Poetry Basket. They confidently recite the poems, and beam with pride that they can remember and articulate them so well. A child with very few words was able to ask for the poem he wanted by using the actions. As we use a Total Communication approach in our setting, the actions that go alongside the poems makes this resource highly inclusive. From that first introduction I knew The Poetry Basket was going to be a positive change for our children and their language development.Helicopter Stories is the only approach I know where even the quietest child clamours to open their mouth, to share their story and imagination, to stand bravely in front of their peers and portray their deepest thoughts, characters and interactions. It’s a place where children who are overlooked suddenly find themselves in an environment where their gifts are recognised and where they can shine. We get worried because we ourselves don’t know how to talk about it, and we might be afraid that children will trivialise it,”says Trish. “I kept saying ‘Trust the child, trust the child,’ and I am always amazed at the results.” Our next move was to print off the books to send home with the children, in their book bags. They already choose story books to share at home, and we knew how excited they would be to have their very own Poetry Basket Book and be able to read every word. As the children left with their books safely in their bags, I watched as they proudly showed their parents. One little girl pointed to the booklet and said, ‘Mum, I’ve got Chop, Chop.’ Her Mum had obviously heard it before, because she replied, ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing. Let’s look when we get home’. In theory, Helicopter Stories is a simple approach. The teacher or workshop leader scribes the children’s stories, word-for-word, and then the class comes together to act them out. The equipment needed is minimal: a roll of masking tape, several sheets of A5 paper, a pen and a practitioner who is curious to uncover the dexterity of children’s imaginations.