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Discover the power of this creative genre

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Discover the power of this creative genre

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Story writing is at the heart of literacy: it gives children the tools to express themselves, organise their ideas and communicate with energy and imagination.

Through creating characters, devising settings, and structuring plots, pupils practise narrative, literary devices, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence craft in a purposeful way. Just as importantly, writing stories helps children to develop empathy, resilience, and confidence in their own voice.

Fantasy adventure is a particularly powerful genre for this work. Its open possibilities - magical worlds, heroic journeys and creatures of all kinds - invite every child to take risks with their ideas and to see themselves as authors of something adventurous and original.

Because these stories are not bound by reality, pupils can explore big themes (e.g. courage, friendship, problem-solving) in a safe and engaging way. And by placing themselves at the heart of the story, they are able to add in their own thoughts, feelings and dreams along the way.

Originally inspired by CLPE's pioneering Reflecting Realities research, Step Inside Your Story celebrates representation and demonstrates to children that anyone can be the star of a story and everyone can be an author.

These Teachers' Notes have been designed to support you in harnessing that potential.

You’ll find:

adaptable lesson ideas that guide pupils from first spark to finished story

helpful handouts to support pupils

standalone activities to weave into your own planning

book recommendations of age-appropriate diverse fantasy adventures to add to your classroom collection

ideas for non-writing entry points to engage less confident writers, plus

images from the British Library collection to inspire young storytellers.

On the main Activity Page, you will also find tips for your pupils to bring the writing process to life.

Whether you follow the lesson sequences or dip into activities, these resources aim to make story writing both structured and inspiring, helping your pupils step confidently into the role of storyteller.

To celebrate their work, pupils can present their stories as individual books, complete with illustrations, maps, or front covers - perfect for entering our competition and creating a keepsake they can be proud of.

Whichever outcome you choose, please do remember to send examples to childrens.books@bl.uk, where we will upload, share and celebrate them as well as enter them into our competition to win £50 worth of book vouchers for your school library.

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Lesson 1: Explore and imagine - what is fantasy?

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Lesson 1: Explore and imagine - what is fantasy?

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Key takeaway: Pupils will know the key features of fantasy stories and practise descriptive fantasy writing.

Tasks:

Explain the project: pupils will be creating their own mini-books, placing themselves at the heart of a fantasy adventure! The Activity Page is here: Step Inside Your Fantasy Adventure Activity Page

Read the three extracts: what makes these fantasy stories? Discuss the key elements of fantasy stories and identify which appear in the extracts:

Imaginary worlds and settings – reached through portals, magical travel or discovered on exciting maps.

Magical or mythical creatures, and extraordinary characters – from dragons and unicorns to shape-shifters and talking animals.

Magic – spells, potions, enchanted objects, and mysterious powers.

A heroic quest or journey – where you (as the reader or in this case, the writer) step into the role of the hero, facing challenges and adventures.

For each extract, complete the accompanying writing activity.

Adaptations:

Use visuals and simplified texts for struggling readers.

Provide sentence starters or audio support for discussions.

Spend time discussing the images first, displaying the collated ideas to use later.

Provide a bank of vocabulary and phrases.

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Ella pushed aside the thick curtain of ivy and gasped. The stone archway she believed broken and empty was now shining like rippling, glistening water. It buzzed gently, as if it had a secret to tell. Through the shimmer, she could see green hills, rolling far into the distance; a sky with two suns; and a silver path, glinting like treasure. Her heart thudded. This wasn’t simply a forgotten doorway - it was an invitation.

Teacher Prompts & Questions:

What would it feel like to step through the portal?

What might you see, hear or smell in this new world?

Who or what might be waiting for you on the silver path?

Would you be excited, scared, or both? Why?

Writing Task:
Write a short description of what happens when you step through the portal. Use your senses (sight, sound, touch, smell) to bring your new world to life.

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The bushes rustled, and for a moment Sam thought it was only the wind. Then two golden eyes blinked at him from the shadows. Slowly, a creature stepped forward: its feathers shimmered like rainbows and its wings stretched wider than a house. He froze, but then he realised… this creature wasn’t angry. It was bowing. Lowering its head, Sam could feel its warm breath on his skin. Tentatively, he reached out his hand...

Teacher Prompts & Questions:

What sort of creature is this? Can you give it a name?

Why might it be bowing - what is it asking for, or offering?

If you could ride this creature, where would it take you?

How would you describe it to someone who had never seen magic before?

Writing Task:
Create your own magical creature. Write a description that tells us what it looks like, how it moves, and what special powers or secrets it has.

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Mia whispered the strange word she had found in the old book. At first, nothing happened. Then - fizz! - sparks of light popped in the air and floated above her hand. They grew brighter, swirling in circles until a tiny flame danced on her palm like a pet candle. Staring in shock, a smile crept across her face. She wasn’t just Mia anymore. She was a girl who had... powers.

Teacher Prompts & Questions:

If you suddenly discovered you had magical powers, how would you feel?

What kind of spells would you want to learn first?

How might your life change if you had this power?

Would you tell anyone, or keep it a secret?

Writing Task:
Write a paragraph describing the first time you discovered your own magical power. Show us how it happens, what your magic looks like, and what you do with it.

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Key takeaway: Children will use the writing prompts to create their own simple stories, which may be used as a springboard for their own ideas.

Tasks:

Provide the ten magical story starters below.

Model how to create a story by choosing an opening, and then inviting children to select the different sentences for the remaining sections.

In pairs, encourage pupils to mix and match for each story part, whilst discussing what ideas they could use to substitute the words in brackets.

Opening / Setting:

- In a hidden corner of [place], I discovered a glowing [object].

- Beyond the old [door/tree/bridge], a world of [magical creatures/enchanted skies] waited for me.

- On the edge of [mountain/lake/forest], something shimmered in the [sun/moonlight].

Build-up / Adventure:
- Every day, I [learned/fed/walked with] the [creature/magical friend] and discovered new powers.
- Strange whispers told me secrets about [a treasure, a spell, a hidden path].
- With each step, the world around me became [stranger/brighter/more dangerous] than I had imagined.

Problem / Conflict:
- Suddenly, a [storm/creature/sorcerer] appeared and [stole/trapped/damaged] [something important].
- I realized that [a spell, a map, a door] was disappearing and I had only [a short time / one chance] to save it.

Resolution / Ending:
- Using my [courage/cleverness/magic], I [escaped/freed/solved] the problem just in time.
- In the end, [the creature/the treasure/the magic] returned, and I [learned a lesson / became a hero / brought magic home].

You can use these prompts in different ways. Pupils could take it in turns to select each time, building a series of new stories and then deciding on their favourite to read to the class.

They could write their own story and their partner could create an illustration for it.

You could revisit the modelled class story from the start of the lesson and show how it can be expanded into a longer adventure by adding dialogue, new magical creatures, more characters, a more difficult problem to solve etc.

Adaptation:

Let students draw a picture first, then use the starter sentences to describe it.

Allow students to copy starters verbatim at first, then gradually encourage rewriting in their own words.

Pair students for peer storytelling, where one reads a starter and the other finishes the sentence.

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Key takeaway: Children will use powerful, sensory language to design and describe a magical portal.

Tasks:

Show images of famous portals e.g. Narnia's wardrobe, Alice's rabbit hole, Stargate

What do these entrances have in common? Why do they appear magical and mysterious?

Bank answers/vocabulary on a flipchart or working wall: hidden, seemingly ordinary, glowing, dangerous, inviting, mysterious etc.

In pairs, discuss which portal is most inviting to them. Why?

Generating Ideas

Pupils brainstorm where their portal could be found. (Inside an object, in nature, in a building, in the sky, underground...)

Is your portal hidden in plain sight or disguised?

Does it appear only at certain times? Who can use it?

Ask children to close their eyes and imagine they’re standing in front of their chosen portal. Take them on an imagined exploration, prompting them to think about what they might see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Provide a simple five senses chart to record their responses.

Pupils sketch their portal on paper, adding labels for magical features (e.g. glowing cracks in the stone, whispering mist, icy cold surface).

- Encourage use of descriptive adjectives from the vocabulary list.

Ask the pupils: What does your portal look like up close? How would it feel to touch? What sounds might it make?

Model, using the input of the children, a short descriptive paragraph about a portal, modelling how to include the sensory language and other key writing features appropriate to the year group, e.g.

At first, the portal looked like nothing more than an old, cracked mirror leaning against the wall of the attic. But when I stepped closer, the glass began to ripple like water. I could hear a faint humming, low and steady, as if the mirror itself was breathing. The frame felt cold and rough under my fingertips, splintered with age, yet the glass surface was strangely warm. A silver mist curled out from the cracks, carrying the sharp smell of rain on stone. The moment I pressed my hand flat against it, the mirror pulled me forward, like falling into deep water, and the world behind me vanished.

Pupils write their own description of their portals, using senses.

Encourage them to explain how the portal works - do they have to speak certain words for it to open? Is there a special knock?

Challenge pupils by adding dialogue - what might the character whisper or shout as they approach, or as they step through their portals?

Adaptations:

Allow children to draw and label their responses instead of using text.

Provide key vocabulary for each of the senses, e.g.

“My portal is hidden inside…”

“When I touch it, it feels…”

“It glows/whispers/smells like…”

“The moment I step through…”

“Only I can use it because…”

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Key takeaway: Children will design and describe the key features of a magical creature.

Tasks:

Share pictures of famous magical creatures (e.g. dragon, unicorn, griffin, phoenix, centaur).

What makes these creatures magical or different from ordinary animals?

Collect answers: unusual body parts, powers, glowing colours, huge size, talking abilities, danger/friendliness.

Think-Pair-Share: Which magical creature would you most like to meet? Which would you like to avoid?

Quick class brainstorm of body parts that could belong to magical creatures (horns, claws, wings, fins, glowing eyes, fire breath, invisible skin).

What happens if we mix animals together - like a lion with eagle wings, or a fish with a wolf’s head?

Share the BL Collection images.

Pupils choose or mix body parts to create their own magical creature, before draw and labelling it. Encourage details: Where does it live? What does it eat? Is it friendly or dangerous?

Ask guiding questions:

Does your creature live in the sky, forest, ocean, or underground?

What makes it special - can it fly, speak, heal, or fight?

Pupils share their creature with a partner before writing a short profile (like a fact file or description).

To include: name, appearance, habitat, powers, personality, role in the story (helper or threat).

Discuss - Imagine your character meets this creature - what happens?

Creature gallery walk: pupils display drawings and read one detail aloud.

Questions to reflect:

What makes this creature magical?

Would you want this creature in your story—why or why not?

Is your creature a helper, a trickster, or a danger?

Pupils revisit their own creature, adding any new details they have picked up from the gallery.

Adaptations:

Provide children with a selection of creatures to choose from. You could pre-make body parts or ready-made 'half creatures' for them to complete.

Provide key sentence starters and vocabulary, e.g.

“My creature is called…”

“It has…”

“It lives in…”

“It eats…”

“Its powers are…”

“In my story, it will…”

Simplify the outcomes to one sentence only.

Provide a structured writing frame.

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Key takeaway: Children will create a 5 part story plan for their fantasy story.

Activities:

Show a simple story outline for a portal story the children know. In this example, we have chosen Jack and the Beanstalk, as this is probably known by most children, but you can simplify any story into its basic plot points. You can plot each point into a visual image of a mountain, to show the tension/excitement rising and falling as the story progresses.

(For more confident writers, you can discuss how all stories vary and do not follow the same linear path - sometimes, we are dropped straight into the action, and a flashback reveals what came before. Your pupils may decide to start their story with finding the portal to the fantasy world, or leaving their character trapped!)

The following is a very simple version of a plot structure that pupils may follow. This is not the finished story, but a simplified structure to understand the main content for each section - for those who are able, always challenge them to embellish with detailed setting and character descriptions, and to use dialogue to convey different characters or advance the action.

Whilst discussing each plot point, refer back to their own ideas, so they can see the connection between the basic plot points of a familiar story alongside their own: instead of Jack, who is their main character? Instead of a castle in the sky accessed via a beanstalk, what is their fantasy world and how does the character get there? Instead of the giant, what is their threat, and how does their character overcome it? How do they return home?

Opening: Jack lives with his mother. They are very poor and only have one cow.

Describe the main character/s and setting.

Build Up: Jack sells the cow for magic beans. His mother is angry and throws them away, but a huge beanstalk (the portal to the giant's world) grows overnight. Jack climbs the beanstalk and finds a giant’s castle.

The portal is found/opened. A description of what the new world looks like.

Problem: There is a giant! The giant is dangerous and shouts, “Fee-fi-fo-fum!” Jack must hide!

All stories need some sort of conflict - a problem that needs solving. This could involve danger to the main character, or a secondary character that needs rescuing.

Resolution: Jack steals treasure and runs away. When the giant chases him down the beanstalk, Jack chops it down.

How does the character overcome the problem? Do they defeat the threat? Escape? Help another character?

Ending: The beanstalk falls, the giant is defeated, and Jack and his mother are rich and happy.

In this example, there is a happy ending because it is a story aimed at younger children. Perhaps your pupils will switch this up? Does the character leave with a memento or reminder of the fantasy world?

In pairs, pupils discuss their ideas. Support with guiding questions:

Opening: “Who is your main character? Where are they at the start?”

Build-up: “How do they find the portal?”

Problem: “What goes wrong? Who or what stands in their way?”

Resolution: “How do they win/escape/succeed?”

Ending: “How is the character different at the end?”

"Stories are like a journey with bumps and surprises along the way - what will your character face?"

Pupils complete their own story mountain/map with short notes or drawings in each section.

Pupils pair up and share their story plans.

Questions for partners:

“What do you like about their idea?”

“What else could happen in the middle?”

“How might the ending surprise the reader?”

For more confident pupils, challenge them to add in a secondary character, such as a friend, rival or guide.

Adaptations:

Provide story planning templates with prompts and simple boxes. Pupils can draw images to help them remember their ideas if writing words is difficult.

Offer a picture sequence (character → portal → creature → problem → ending) to help structure ideas.

Give sentence frames for the sharing of ideas, which will help pupils to remember their structure:

“At the start, my character is…”

“They find a portal…”

“They meet…”

“The problem is…”

“In the end…”

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Key takeaway: Children will write their first draft of their story, using their story plan

Activities:

Provide time for pupils to revisit their plans, discussing ideas with a partner.

Remind pupils to think about the 5 parts: setting, characters, problem, events, resolution.

Does their story make sense?

Model how to move from the 5-part plan to drafting a paragraph.

Think aloud - explain your choices as you write for describing the setting, showing the emotion of the characters, adding in the action and creating suspense, using a variety of sentence structures. Focus on the grammatical objectives for your year group, modelling correct usage, always commenting on the effect on the reader.

Pupils individually begin drafting their stories, aiming to complete one section at a time.

Encourage them to refer to their plan, word banks, and prompt cards.

Provide mini-checkpoints: after each section, pupils can read aloud to a partner or self-assess for clarity and excitement.

You may choose to keep everybody together, modelling each section each time.

After each section, encourage pupils to reread their work, checking:

Is the world clear in the reader’s mind?

Are characters’ feelings shown through actions, thoughts or dialogue?

Does the story have a twist or exciting moment

If there is time, pupils can swap stories to give positive feedback and a suggestion for how it could be improved further.

Adaptations:

Ensure pupils don't write too much for each section. Always refer back to the plan to make sure the main information is included.

Allow dictation, scribing or typing.

Provide sentence starters, key vocabulary and additional prompts.

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Lessons 9-10: Complete, Illustrate, Publish and Celebrate

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Lessons 9-10: Complete, Illustrate, Publish and Celebrate

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Key takeaways: Children will visually design their fantasy setting and publish their completed stories in a mini-book format, showcasing imagination, storytelling, and creativity.

Activities:

Revisit each pupil’s story plan and draft.

Discuss: Where does your story take place? What makes it magical?

Show examples of fantasy maps (e.g., Narnia, Dragon Realm) and mini-book illustrations (example maps available on the Activity Page).

Discuss key locations in pupils' stories: portals, mountains, villages, creature lairs, danger zones etc.

Using the example on the Activity Page, pupils create their fold-out maps showing important places from their story.

Encourage labels and symbols using the word/picture bank.

How do the locations connect to your hero’s journey?

Where might your story’s big problem occur

What is the most important location and why?

Pupils re-read their stories aloud to a partner or themselves, focusing on one editing goal (e.g., capital letters, punctuation, descriptive language).

Discuss ways to improve: Could a sentence show more of the character’s feelings?

Begin preparing the mini-book, considering how to present each section:

Assemble pages or follow concertina fold instructions (see Activity Page).

Could there be a lift-up flap or pocket with interesting information (such as a secret about the portal, or magical tips) on a card that can be removed?

Could there be different sized text boxes (using a variety of coloured paper, that is chopped into different shapes?)

Which of the information will be accompanied by images or illustrations?

What will the front cover look like? Is there a blurb, contents page or short author bio?

Pupils add illustrations inside their books and colour their maps.

Encourage creative details: magical creatures, landmarks, or action scenes.

What scene would your reader most enjoy seeing illustrated?

Once completed, consider how to ‘publish’ their work. You could:

Display the children’s stories in a gallery format around the classroom, with pupils leaving sticky-note compliments as they walk round. Why not invite in the headteacher to celebrate their work?

Record pupils talking through their finished books, showing each page, then upload these recordings to your school website for parents to see.

Photograph each page of the mini-books and create a pdf version to be emailed to parents. Please also send to childrens.books@bl.uk, where each submission will be uploaded to our Padlet page, and shared with all the followers of the British Library.

Adaptations:

Use map templates and assist with labels or drawing symbols.

When asking pupils to edit, be specific about what they are looking to change. Trying to edit everything all at once can be overwhelming.

Writing on small pieces of paper to be stuck into the main book removes the fear of making mistakes.

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An overview of the event structure to help you prepare your classroom and pupils

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An overview of the event structure to help you prepare your classroom and pupils

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Templates for each create-along section are available below, although they are not essential - plain paper will work too!

Welcome from host Ben Shires. Meet authors Katie & Kevin Tsang and illustrator Viv Schwarz for an introduction to fantasy fiction.

Fantasy Portals – Katie and Kevin explain ideas for portals before pupils draw their portal into a magical world with Viv.

Magical Creatures - Katie and Kevin inspire pupils to invent creatures before Viv shows them how to design a magical beast.

Story Structure - Pupils are shown how to complete a simple 'boxed-up' version of a story to help them structure their ideas.

Fantasy Maps - Katie and Kevin share how maps support their stories and Viv shows how to create their own map.

Magic and Potions - Katie and Kevin discuss magic in fantasy fiction and possible ways to include it.

The Hero – Pupils design themselves as the hero of their story.

An example book is shared by Viv.

Q&A, farewell and next steps

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Stories can be lengthy, but they can also be incredibly short!

Practising telling 5-sentence stories with your children can help them realise what the key ingredients are when structuring their stories. It can also build confidence, as children don’t feel overwhelmed because the story is short and achievable.

With only five sentences, every detail counts so the focus on creativity, not long writing, which can put off less confident writers, although these mini-stories often spark ideas for longer pieces.

Orally practising telling 5-sentence stories naturally teaches beginning, middle, and end, even in a short form, and children can identify the main problem that the character needs to overcome.

Sentence Prompts

I opened the door and…

The creature looked at me with eyes that…

When I touched the stone, it began to…

The forest whispered…

I had never seen a sky so…

Suddenly, the ground beneath me…

In the distance, I heard…

The magic sparkled like…

I knew at once that I had discovered…

With a deep breath, I stepped through…

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The Floating Island Adventure

Opening: Kiran found a hidden door in his attic that led to a floating island in the clouds.
Build-up: He made friends with a flock of talking phoenixes who taught him to soar through the sky.
Problem: A sudden storm trapped Kiran on the island, and the phoenixes’ flames couldn’t reach him.
Resolution: Remembering a secret wind tunnel, Kiran guided himself safely back to the main cloud path.
Ending: He returned home, carrying a single golden feather as proof of his adventure in the sky.

Ashanti and the Whispering Key
Opening: In the heart of the Whispering Woods, Ashanti discovered a glowing key half-buried under ivy.
Build-up: The key whispered secrets of a hidden treasure guarded by a mischievous forest spirit.
Problem: The spirit challenged Ashanti to solve riddles she couldn’t immediately understand.
Resolution: Using her cleverness and a notebook of clues, Ashanti solved the riddles and earned the treasure.
Ending: She unlocked a chest full of sparkling seeds, which grew magical plants all over her village, providing much-needed food for everyone.

Jorin and the Crystal of Warmth
Opening: At the edge of a frozen lake, Jorin stumbled upon a crystal that pulsed with warm, golden light.
Build-up: When he held it, he could see visions of creatures trapped beneath the ice.
Problem: A blizzard threatened to bury the lake forever, trapping the creatures in its icy clutches.
Resolution: Thinking quickly, Jorin used the crystal’s heat to melt the ice just in time, freeing them all.
Ending: The creatures bowed gratefully and promised to protect Jorin whenever he needed them.

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We want children to step inside their stories, and place themselves at the heart of their adventures.

Working in this way allows children to explore thoughts and feelings in a safe way, identifying their own strengths and abilities, and recognising that anything can become a superpower if we allow it to be.

In the live event, Viv guides children through the creation of a self-portrait, asking,

"If you were an adventurer in a fantasy story, what aspects of your personality would help?"

How will you describe you?

What is your spark?

In Dragon Mountain, the four main characters all utilise aspects of their personality to open the portal and access the Dragon Realm, but each character also discovers their hidden strengths.

Here is one way to guide children through the activity:

Ask children to begin by drawing themselves in the middle of the page – however they want to. Stick-men version are usually easiest but they can choose to represent themselves however they want to!

It’s always a good idea to start a story with a character – because every character is different. They are going to think about what makes them different, because they are the star of this story.

Encourage your students to consider what makes them stand out from the crowd. Encourage them by emphasising the point that if we all had identical thoughts, looks, feelings and skills, it would be so boring!

Names

All characters need a name – and in this story, the children are the superstar! Ask children to write their name in big letters somewhere on the page. Because this is a fantasy story, they might decide to make their name fantastical too by adding in extra bits – e.g. ‘Ben the Brave’ or 'Mohammed the Magnificent!'

Playing around with names often helps new story ideas pop into children's heads.

Personality

This really helps authors when writing the events of a story – it helps them work out how the character would react in different situations.

Are you:

·        Kind?

·        Helpful?

·        Determined?

·        Quiet?

·        Cheeky?

Provide time for children to think and write down some words to describe them.

If needed, show a variety of adjectives: kind, brave, curious, shy, funny, imaginative, helpful, calm, thoughtful, friendly, energetic, quiet etc.

Superpowers

Maybe they have other things that make them different, that could be a part of the story – perhaps they love animals, and in their story they find out they can talk to animals!

Take the children through a series of questions to explore including personal aspects:

Are you a naturally quiet person or do you wear a hearing aid? Your superpower could be that you are ‘tuned in’ - you hear what nobody else can through vibrations in the air – such as whispers from magical creatures, or secrets carried on the wind. Or perhaps you can read people’s minds!

Do you wear glasses or are you partially sighted? Perhaps you have magical sight beyond sight, meaning you can sense truth, or danger. Maybe you ‘see’ what others miss, like hidden creatures, portals, or people in need.

Maybe you’re always full of energy, bouncing around all over the place, or you have ADHD: your special skill could be that you can run at super speed, or that you can light up the darkest of places with the energy built up inside you. Or maybe your brain runs at super speed, so you can dodge danger with super-fast reflexes!

It might be that you are an Autistic child – your special talents could include seeing patterns nobody else can, solving clues or seeing invisible pathways. Maybe you could fix broken spells or tap into the magic in the world around you.

If you’re in a wheelchair, it could become a magical transforming vehicle – able to fly, go underwater or zoom through time. If you have a prosthetic limb, maybe it can be used as a magical tool – shapeshifting into whatever you need it to be: a key to a locked door or a grappling hook to escape danger!

Remember – this is a fantasy story, so whilst we want the focus to be on the children as the heroes, they can add in any magical extras and bend the truth as much or as little as they want to – there are no wrong answers! Some children will not want to write about themselves, and that is ok too!

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A blank page can feel like the scariest monster of all - especially for children who don’t yet see themselves as writers.

This toolkit of approaches can be used to inspire and engage young writers, making story creation playful, visual, and collaborative as well as written.

Drama and Role Play

Hot-seating: Pupils take turns becoming a character, with other children asking them questions - a good way of uncovering backstory and motivation.

Freeze-frames: Groups create a still image of a key moment (entering the portal, battling a dragon), then describe what’s happening. You could add in thought-tracking as an additional drama technique, where the character says out loud what they are thinking in their heads at that specific moment.

Prop box: Explore a collection of ordinary and unusual items (keys, cloaks, feathers, shells) for pupils to handle and imagine their magical uses. You could set a timer and challenge children to list all of the possible uses for each item.

Art and Visual Storytelling

Map-making: Pupils draw the landscape of their fantasy world by sketching out a simple outline, making it wobbly and jagged in places to represent a coastline. Add in basic symbols for forests, castles, mountains, rivers, and develop further with secret caves, beasts' lairs and other fantasy elements, labelling features that could inspire new settings.

Character design: Encourage drawing or collage to bring heroes, villains and creatures to life, helping pupils with description when writing about their heroes and magical creatures.

Mood boards: Use a variety of materials with varying colours, textures and images to capture the atmosphere of a place (e.g. the icy mountains or the golden city). Mood boards can be an abstract representation of a place and therefore reduce any worry about it looking 'right' or 'realistic'.

Word-Based Starters

Sentence sparks: Play sentence games, offering sentence openers such as “Beyond the mountains lay a…” or “The door creaked open and…”. Allow pupils to free up their imaginations without committing anything to paper.

Word banks: Using an image, as a class work together to create lists of vivid verbs, magical nouns or sensory adjectives - display these in the classroom for pupils to borrow.

Shared writing: Again using an image to spark an idea, model building a paragraph together, showing pupils how ideas can grow line by line as you voice your thinking processes, modifying vocabulary and sentence structure to create specific effects.

Group and Collaborative Work

Story jigsaw: Each group writes a simple version of only one part of a quest (the call to adventure, the first challenge, the final battle etc), then pieces them together, sparking new twists and turns.

Pass-the-plot: Pupils take turns adding a sentence to a story aloud or on paper, building momentum without individual pressure.

Creature creation: In pairs, pupils design a new creature by combining features of two animals, then write its description.

Sensory and Creative Entry Points

Music and soundscapes: Play storm sounds, forest birdsong or epic film scores to set the mood for writing.

Object inspiration: Pass around an unusual object (a key, a stone, a feather) and ask pupils to imagine its story. Where has it come from? What secret power does it have? Why is it special?

Smell or touch prompts: Fabric scraps, spices or natural materials can spark sensory description.

Celebrating Progress

Build in moments for pupils to share aloud - even a single sentence.

Emphasise that all contributions (a drawing, a word, a gesture) are valid steps in storytelling.

Give pupils a clear, exciting end-goal: their own finished fantasy book for the competition!