Most definitely not the children in the Burrow!
As you know the children have been learning our version of the traditional story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. Each day they have listened to members of the Burrow staff reciting the story. The words have been embellished with some of our story making actions. We’ve used puppets to represent the characters in the story as well as small world toys. These help the children to revisit the story in their independent play.
Gradually the children in the Burrow have gained the confidence to listen, watch, copy and join in with retelling the story. They have also been developing their mark making skills through the use of story maps. These are simple pictorial versions of the story created by the adults and the children usually working together. The children enjoy using a range of tools and sometimes give meaning to their marks.
This method of active story making is called the Imitation stage. Learning a story through imitation is quite simple when a multi-sensory approach is used and the story is visited daily. Young children draw upon this bank of language in their own talk and play quite naturally. The stories need to be known so well, that they enter the child’s long term memory.
Story making is built upon the principle that to write language the child needs to have heard and spoken, before writing. At least 6-7 retellings are needed to embed a new story into children’s long term memories so don’t worry when your child wants to hear the same story again and again.
Much of the power of story making in the early years comes from its multi-sensory nature. There are no barriers and it is all inclusive, so young children with very little language, EAL (English as an additional language) or children with additional needs can join in.
Please use the text below and actions to help you share this enjoyable activity with your child.
Have fun!
Soraya
The 3 Little Pigs
Once upon a time (2 hands make a big circle) there were 3 little pigs.
Early one morning (sleeping on hands then open one hand overhead) Mummy Pig said ‘Oh my how you’ve grown! It’s time you built a home of your own’.
The first little pig built a house of straw.
Suddenly (hands up with fingers splayed) the big bad wolf came knock, knock, knocking on the door.
‘Little pig, little pig let me come in’.
‘No,no,no not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, I won’t let you in’.
‘Then (karate chop hand) I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!’
And (hands together) he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house in.
Next, the second little pig built a house of sticks.
Suddenly the big bad wolf came knock, knock, knocking on the door.
‘Little pig, little pig let me come in’.
‘No,no,no not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, I won’t let you in’.
‘Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!’
And he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house in.
Next, the third little pig built a house of bricks.
Suddenly the big bad wolf came knock, knock, knocking on the door.
‘Little pig, little pig let me come in’.
‘No,no,no not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, I won’t let you in’.
‘Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!’
And he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed but he could not blow the house in.
Out of the blue (clasp hands on face), the big bad wolf climbed onto the roof and came down the chimney.
Luckily (right index finger circling upwards above head), there was a big pot of water on the fire to boil. The wolf fell into the pot and burnt his bottom!
He ran out of the door and was never seen again.
In the end the 3 little pigs lived happily ever after.
The end (two hands closing a book).