There is lovely simplicity and hopefulness in this well-known Japanese story. It also has a powerful lesson – may we all learn it!

Here’s another great creation story about how wisdom came into the world. It tells us how Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, was born.  It also puts a lovely positive spin on having a headache! Lots to explore here and a lovely springboard for writing your own creation stories. 

Here’s a fantastic example of story recycling: Macbeth retold to take place on the Great British Bake Off 2020. This new version of Macbeth in the modern era is full of creative flair and originality. Not only does it show how motivating story recycling can be, but also how engaging and accessible Shakespeare can be for young learners!

This is a brilliant African story about cruelty and payback; a powerful and memorable story for engaging older children. I love the fierce predator power of the leopard woman and the surprise and satisfaction of the ending.

How often do you make up stories with your class? Story creation is not just great fun but it allows pupils to bring their own ideas, interests and experiences to their storytelling and story writing. This sense of ownership gives a real sense of pride, achievement and joy. Take a look at this engaging telling of a really original made-up story by a Year 6 pupil entitled ‘How the French Bulldog Got Its Flat Face.’

As part of National Share a Story Month, here’s a clip of me telling one of my favourite stories for younger children. It’s a great comedy story all about misunderstanding and how we can repeatedly bring trouble on ourselves, albeit unintentionally. 

Retelling stories through song is not only fun and energising but great for reinforcing language and plot. Here’s an example of how to do it by making up your own simple tune to retell stories for KS1 and KS2. Watch Year 4 pupil, Mali, perform her own song that she wrote to retell the story Ganesh Gets Married.

Mood is such an important and useful tool for a storyteller. Here’s an example of how you might use poetry to strengthen your teaching of mood. In this video, you can hear Year 6 pupil, Kayja, tell her own mood poem in relation to the story Persephone.