2.5y–4.2y15 minStory timeReadingFamily time
Story Props and Picture Cues
A short, accessible story session using simple visual cues and household story props so every child can join in—supporting comprehension, repeated refrains, and predicting what happens next.
What you'll need
Essentials
- a familiar storybook (or a very simple story you can tell from memory)
- 3–6 household props to represent story elements (e.g., spoon, sock, small toy, cup, scarf)
- a clear surface (floor or table) to place props
Nice to have
- paper and marker (to draw 2–3 simple picture cue cards: character, place, problem)
- a small bag/box to store 'story props' for next time
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
- MilestoneShows nonverbal story understandingMind· 3y–5y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneListens and joins inMind· 2.3y–3.3y· core
- MilestoneCompletes Familiar Story or Rhyme PhrasesMind· 20mo–2.7y· stretch
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 2.8y–3.6y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneUses symbolic substitution (objects and words) in playMind· 20mo–3y· core· Steps 1, 2
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 3y–5y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneTells the next familiar eventMind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneAnswers story questionsMind· 2.1y–3.1y· core· Step 2
- MilestonePretends with imagined roles or thingsMind· 2y–3y· core· Step 1
What it practices
- Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Listens to and joins in with stories and poems, one-to-one and also in small groups.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Suggests how the story might end.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)