Kit 15 of 17· 🥇 Band 5: Expanding Communicators
The TELL THE STORY Kit
First... then... the end — retelling is a superpower for school
Why “tell the story” matters
Telling what happened — in order, with a beginning and an end — is one of the strongest predictors of how easily a child will take to reading and writing. And it starts small: retelling a favorite book, narrating a pretend birthday party, describing the bus ride the animals took. Every retell strengthens sequencing words like 'first', 'then' and 'after that' — the invisible glue of storytelling.
How to teach it — 4 simple steps
- 1
Read a favorite book, then close it and ask: 'What happened first?' Let them retell with the pictures if they like — that's still storytelling.
- 2
Narrate pretend play in story shape: 'First we made the cake, THEN we lit the candles, and THEN...?'
- 3
Use 'story words' out loud yourself — first, next, then, last — so they soak into your child's sentences.
- 4
At bedtime, retell your child's real day as a story starring them. Then swap: 'You tell ME the story of the park.'
The 3 toys in this kit
Each one creates dozens of natural “tell the story” moments — open a toy page for the full goals by level.
