2.5y–4.2y12 minStory timeReadingQuiet time
Stop, Predict, and Rewrite
An interactive story routine where your child predicts what happens next, invents alternative endings, compares feelings with their own experiences, and weaves in quick rhyme/phonics play to support early decoding.
What you'll need
Essentials
- one storybook (choose a predictable or rhyming one if you can)
- paper
- a pen or pencil
Nice to have
- crayons (to draw a quick alternative ending)
- 2–3 small toys/props to act out characters
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
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 2.8y–3.6y· stretch· Step 2
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 3y–5y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneProduces rhyming wordsMind· 4y–5y· stretch
- MilestoneAnticipates familiar story eventsMind· 2.5y–4.2y· stretch· Step 1
- MilestoneRecognizes rhymesMind· 3.3y–5y· core· Step 1
- MilestoneCompletes Familiar Story or Rhyme PhrasesMind· 20mo–2.7y· stretch· Step 1
- MilestoneAnswers questions about a storyMind· 4y–6y· stretch· Step 2
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
- “Encourage them to predict outcomes, to think of alternative endings and to compare plots and the feelings of characters with their own experiences.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)