Are our classes what you expected?
In a recent survey, I asked the parents who come along to our interactive, sensory storytelling and drama classes if our classes are what they expect.
No was the most common answer!
But find out why!
“No, they weren’t what I expected…they were better!!! They really bring stories to life and make you feel part of the story.”
“No, but in a good way, much better than I expected, loved it and signed up again. Had more content than I thought it would especially the sensory props.”
“No! I didn’t understand until I came along how you made a story book so appealing and engaging for young babies. But he loves it!”
So what can you expect at Little Story Shapers…
Firstly, if you’re coming along to a class for the very first time, we understand this can be nerve wracking for both children and parents. Therefore, the first thing you can expect is to be greeted with a welcoming smile by one of our qualified, highly experienced and very friendly class leaders. Our top priority is making everyone feel welcome so the transition into starting classes is a smooth one for both you as the parent and your child.
We recognise that all children are different and will approach activities in different ways. All our classes are child-led and adapted to meet the needs of each individual child. We will work alongside your child to get to know them and be led by their own ideas, passions and creative responses. We are highly trained in the different developmental milestones that children go through and recognise and embrace how all children develop and learn in unique ways. You can therefore expect an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and can work at their own pace in a way they feel comfortable.
What can you expect during a class?
When you arrive, the room will be laid out with mats on the floor for you and your child to sit on. An individual props bag is laid out ready for you to dive straight into so there’s no waiting around. This allows your little one to be entertained from the very beginning.
We begin the class with our welcome song and sign hello to each of our little ones, allowing everyone to settle in and learn each other’s names. Our older ones have a name card which they can put inside our story sack to start their early name recognition skills.
We then wake up our imaginations using our very special pretend imagination dust to inspire our little one’s creativity.
All our classes are centred around a storybook which we read over the duration of the class. We stop throughout the book to bring different aspect of the story to life using sensory props, songs, drama activities, role-play and heaps of imagination. Sign language, early communication and reading skills are woven into our classes to support your child’s early development. For our eldest children we begin building up phonological awareness of different letter sounds and features of language such as rhyming words, oppositional and propositional language. We use a wide variety of different props to inspire our little one’s imaginations and their role-play skills. Music is a big part of our classes and we sing nursery rhymes, follow action songs, sign along to different songs and dance to both modern music and some golden oldies.
“Stories really do come to life in the room” I was thrilled to read this quote from a parent as it’s the main thing that we set out to achieve in our classes. We want children to fall in love with books and I believe the best way to do this is to allow them to fully experience the book in a physical, auditory, visual and kinaesthetic way. For our youngest babies they explore the book with all of their senses to allow them to understand the story on a multi-sensory level. For our older children, they are up on their feet acting out parts of the story, pretending to be the characters and embracing their inner creativity and imagination. By inspiring this level of enjoyment in books we are nurturing the beginning of their reading and learning journey. I believe the first steps in learning to read is to first fall in love with books. If our children love books then they will want to learn to read themselves which is both an essential and magical place to be. Books open up worlds of opportunities for our children which is why I’m so passionate about making our classes ones your children will love and benefit from for the rest of their lives.
We finish each class with a calming song and sensory lights to allow our children to finish in a relaxed state, ready to continue with the rest of their day. I regularly hear from parents that older children go home chatting about the book they have read and will often want to read more stories when they get home or use activities we have done in their own play. Lots of the activities and songs we do are transferable to home so you can continue your little ones learning inspired by the class.
What types of activities can I expect to do?
This is very varied depending on the age of your child. Each class has been tailor made to support and shape our children’s early development and focus on key milestones which our children make over the first 4 years of their lives.
Skills you can expect your baby to learn:
- Sound recognition
- Eye tracking skills
- Core strength during tummy time activities
- Language acquisition
- Early communication skills through sign language
- Social skills
- Problem solving
- Bonding with you
Skills you can expect your toddler to learn:
- Creativity and imagination
- Role-play skills
- Fine and gross motor skills
- Balance and stability
- Language development
- Early phonics skills such a learning rhythm and rhyme
- Musicality through songs and instruments
- Social skills including sharing, turn taking and tidying away
- Communications skills
- Parallel play (playing alongside other children)
- Bonding with you
Skills you can expect your pre-schooler to learn in addition to the skills above:
- Early reading skills
- Phonological awareness through letter sounds
- Different types of language including prepositions, opposites and action words
- Name recognition
- Early writing skills through mark making
- Friendships and associative play (playing with other children)
What do other people say you can expect from our classes:
“My son’s love of books has soared since going to Little Story Shapers”
“Classes are welcoming, educational, fun, structured, friendly with great stories told through actions, role-play and sensory toys”
“I love how my 8month old was hooked from the beginning to the end of the class, week in week out!”
“We love how going to class can shift a bad morning into a good morning and rest everyone”
What to do next?
If you would like to come along and try one of our classes, we offer 2 week trails to allow you and your little one to settle in and become familiar with the class.
Get in touch with Sarah to start your little ones reading journeys early: [email protected].