Nursery World - Curtain up

Join a nursery group making a drama in progress from a simple storybook and using it to explore feelings and issues, with the thoughtful involvement of nursery staff Developing drama from a popular children's story is a useful approach for early years practitioners. Stories enable children to understand how one situation leads to another as a result of action and behaviour. Key moments in stories, such as when characters are under pressure to make an important decision, offer an exciting opportunity to unpack the meanings embedded in the narrative.

Developing drama from a popular children's story is a useful approach for early years practitioners. Stories enable children to understand how one situation leads to another as a result of action and behaviour. Key moments in stories, such as when characters are under pressure to make an important decision, offer an exciting opportunity to unpack the meanings embedded in the narrative.

This is different from simply re-enacting a known story, which brings the story to life but does not enable children to explore the significance or underlying reasons for the sequence of events. Instead, a key moment in a story can provide a starting-point for the children's own play, which the practitioner would then seek to challenge in order to illuminate an aspect of their social understanding.

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