2.5y–4.2y11 minStory timeReadingFamily time
Prop-a-Story: Visual Cues and Story Props
Use simple visual cues and household props to make stories accessible for every child, supporting attention, participation, and playful sound awareness during shared reading.
What you'll need
Essentials
- a picture book (any familiar story works)
- 3–5 simple props from home (e.g., spoon, sock, toy car, scarf, small box)
- paper and a pen/marker for quick picture cues
Nice to have
- a soft toy to be a character or audience
- a small blanket to make a cosy 'story spot'
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-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 4
- MilestoneBeginning to be aware of the way stories are structured.Mind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneOrders a complete familiar sequenceMind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneShows nonverbal story understandingMind· 3y–5y· stretch
- MilestoneUses symbolic substitution (objects and words) in playMind· 20mo–3y· core· Step 1
- MilestonePretends with imagined roles or thingsMind· 2y–3y· core· Step 1
- MilestoneListens and joins inMind· 2.3y–3.3y· stretch
- MilestoneAttends to Shared Book ReadingMind· 18mo–2.7y· core
- MilestoneAttends to book contentMind· 18mo–2.6y· stretch
- MilestoneExtends vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming, exploring the meaning and sounds of new words.Mind· 3.3y–5y· stretch· Step 5
- MilestoneProduces rhyming wordsMind· 4y–5y· 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
- “Ensure access to stories for all children by using a range of visual cues and story props.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)