2.5y–4.2y15 minStory timeArtFree play
Make-a-Story Box
A hands-on activity where the adult and child make a simple story box from a favorite book using household items, then use it to retell and play with story words and sounds at home.
What you'll need
Essentials
- a shoebox or small bag
- a favorite picture book
- 3–8 household items or small toys to match the story (be flexible and approximate)
- paper and a marker
Nice to have
- tape or glue
- crayons/stickers for decoration
Movement level: mild
What you'll do
The 5-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneSupported familiar-story retellingMind· 4y–5y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneOrders a complete familiar sequenceMind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneUses talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events.Mind· 3.3y–5y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneUses symbolic substitution (objects and words) in playMind· 20mo–3y· core· Step 1
- MilestonePretends with imagined roles or thingsMind· 2y–3y· core· Step 1
- MilestoneProduces rhyming wordsMind· 4y–5y· stretch· Step 4
- MilestoneAttends to book contentMind· 18mo–2.6y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneIdentifies named picturesMind· 2y–3y· stretch· Step 5
What it practices
- Enjoys rhyming and rhythmic activities.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Shows awareness of rhyme and alliteration.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Continues a rhyming string.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Hears and says the initial sound in words.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Can segment the sounds in simple words and blend them together and knows which letters represent some of them.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Provide story sacks and boxes and make them with the children for use in the setting and at home.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)