Show Me a Story

Telling stories is one important aspect of early literacy. Show Me a Story by Emily Neuburger, a new book in our Parent’s Shelf collection, is full of good ideas to prompt children young and old to participate in storytelling. This would be a great resource for parents to use with their preschoolers, for people who want to supplement school with fun learning activities at home, or for homeschoolers. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

• Story Grab Bag: a sack filled with images you’ve drawn or cut out of magazines, used to prompt story ideas
• a list of Story Sparks: for when you’re at a loss for a character, setting, or detail
• Traveling Puppet Theater: a simple cardboard backdrop with puppets on craft sticks, threaded through a slit on the page
• Create the Past activity: have children make up a complete (fictional) history of an object such as a piece of beach glass, an apron, or a skyscraper.

The book also includes a comprehensive materials chapter, as well as a useful index. I highly recommend it!