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Sticker Storytelling

May 3, 2011 by Anna Ranson

I had this idea recently for creating sticker scenes which combined my drawing a simple background and C’s placing of stickers wherever she chose. She has absolutely LOVED it and has been absorbed in the whole process, from choosing the scenes to filling them up with stickers and then asking for more! 

 I began to notice how she was talking about what she was doing as she placed the stickers and that she was verging on a simple form of narration and basic storytelling. I realised how useful they could be as a launch pad into language development through labelling the objects and characters in the pictures, describing what is happening in each scene and even telling a very simple story through what she created.

 If you are a teacher of young children you will know how difficult it can be to plan activities for encouraging language development as most of it happens naturally through play and can be hard to measure or record, without sitting nearby with a notebook or dictaphone (both of which we have done at school!)

 So, by simply annotating sticker scenes like this with the exact words spoken by the child, it becomes a wonderfully simple way to record and track language development and to illustrate the first signs of storytelling abilities.

Cakie is 32 months now and is not yet telling stories, but if you can see some of the ways she has described these scenes you can just see that she is beginning to understand how to describe with longer sentences, key details and some descriptive language. If I compare this to our Toddler Mind Maps (be sure to read about these if you missed this post!) it is easy to see how much progress she has made from just 6 months ago, when she was only using simple one and two word sentences to label her ideas.
                          
I am storing these in a plastic document wallet and adding them in chronological order. She loves flicking through her picture book and talks about what she has done, adding another bonus of language development to the activity- recount!

As she gets older, she will be able to draw her own pictures and make her own stories and books. This is the stepping stone on the way to that future step in development.

This activity is good for:
* early literacy skills: descriptive language, retelling and recount, labelling and naming, simple storytelling
*simple and effective assessment method for tracking development
*creative and imaginative play

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Filed Under: Activities, Language, Literacy, Preschooler, Stickers, Stories, Story Props, Toddler Tagged With: Early Literacy, Preschool Ideas

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Comments

  1. gill barron says

    May 3, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    I love these and your stickers just wondering where did you buy your stickers I cant seem to find any as good as the ones you use

  2. Wonder Mom says

    May 3, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    We have scads of stickers at our house- I do believe we will now be putting them to good use!

  3. Love and Lollipops says

    May 3, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Love this idea thank you! Love your blog…you have so many great ideas! My little guy is also 32 months old, so will give this a go and see how he enjoys it.

    Take care,
    Georgia

  4. Raising a Happy Child says

    May 3, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    You are such a good artist – I love your backgrounds. I just wish I could draw nearly as well, but the idea is worth trying out.

  5. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 3, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Gill, the best ones here are actually all from the 99p shop! The lovely beach and forest themed ones. I think Peppa Pig set came from Sainsburys- not as cheap. When I go to £1 shops I tend to buy huge bag fulls of goodies at a time, so I probably picked up about 8-10 packs of great stickers in one go! (hubby eye rolls 🙂

  6. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 3, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    Thanks for the drawing praise, but really my talent is limited and thankfully, at this age they think ALL drawings are perfect! Make the most of it while it lasts 🙂

  7. Larissa says

    May 4, 2011 at 4:03 am

    Oh, I am just LOVING these!!! My little one Loves stickers too – and I’ve been looking for an idea to put some to ‘good’ use in a way that is more than just sticking random stickers on a page to discover patterns and the like. Making a scene and story from the stickers is a Fantastic idea!
    Thank-you for showing us this – and I too, believe your drawing is fantastic! Each is perfect for the appropriate scene!!

  8. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 4, 2011 at 8:53 am

    Thanks Larissa!

  9. Bona Fide Mama says

    May 4, 2011 at 9:40 am

    My daughter is well beyond her years verbally but would still probably enjoy this. Thanks for the idea 🙂

  10. Rashmie @ MommyLabs says

    May 4, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Anna, absolutely loved these sticker story boards! And yes, agree with others – you have an artistic hand! The stickers – I am yet to come across something so nice so as to make a variety of stories..

    But, we have to give it a go! Showing this to my daughter as she’s standing next to my desk… 🙂

  11. Sophie World says

    May 6, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    This is a really great idea! Little ones do love their stickers — they make crafting and drawing so easy for them! And the idea to turn it into a language building exercise is genius. I’m definitely bookmarking this one!

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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