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Step inside your story is a chance to reveal something about yourself. Some children have moved across nations and tumultuous seas to be where they are today. Their story may well be emotional and memorable. Other children are rooted in one place and feel that their stories lack imagination and that their ‘heritage’ is not so exciting. But fear not, we all have a story to tell – it is just a case of finding out which one to divulge!

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Every child has a story within them, whether it is the day they got lost at the fair, the birth of a sibling or a journey they undertook to come to this country.

We can celebrate all the tales they have. Using an extra bit of imagination and a dollop of artistic license, we can create, and even fabricate, a part of our history, be it in the place we live or from where we originated. One of the most exciting outcomes is how much we learn about the children in our care as they reveal their family stories to us in a variety of different ways.

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Everyone has a character in their lives, be it a great uncle, a distant cousin, a carer – even a teacher or a dinner lady. There is always a story to tell.

Perhaps children could interview this character, finding out about a significant event in their lives. They could present their findings as an interview or playscript, illustrated with pictures of events, places or people that are mentioned.

Alternatively, they could present it as a diary of the day they interviewed this family member who recalled their town, or an event, and how it affected them.

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Buildings offer an insight into local history. Consider which building in your town deserves a blue plaque (like the ones seen in London, celebrating famous people who inhabited these spaces). Is there a special building in your city/town/village that holds a special memory for you personally?

Perhaps it is the place where you spent your money from the Tooth Fairy? Losing your first tooth is always an event and discovering the treasure under the pillow the next morning replacing your baby tooth is a magical occasion.

Or perhaps it is a place where you took part in a religious ceremony or your favourite park/cinema/chip shop/corner shop. The possibilities are endless.

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Objects hold particular memories – ask family members about prized possessions and treasured trophies.

Maybe you didn’t know your mum or aunt was a winning ice skater? What memories does she have of polishing her skates or the outfits that were worn or the music played? Do the fishing lure or flies in the garage tell a story of fly fishing? What about the photo in the family album of your dad’s first car (which was often named!) or an old suitcase in the attic that might hold a story within. Some old suitcases were lined with newspaper from the time they were used and these newsprints hold their own stories.

Objects connected to specific cultural practices have an aura too – a copy of the Koran, a hanukkiah, a recipe for a particular stew or soup that’s been passed down through generations.

Some children might like to interview these objects themselves – they can use their imagination to decide where the object was found or bought, why it was bought and what significance it has for a family member. Perhaps it is a foreign coin, a battered suitcase, a vase or a teaspoon.

Objects tell their own stories: they connect to people and they can mean many things. They capture moments and can reflect changes in the way we live.

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Have your students brought back a souvenir from a visit to an attraction or from a day trip or holiday? Could that souvenir be the impetus to start a story or a memory they could share?

An old photograph might be just the stimulus to recall an event that is a good starting point for a story about you.

Did you visit Blackpool when the lights were being turned on?

Have you been on a boat trip down the Thames?

Were you present when a lamb was born on a farm?

An item of clothing, a fragment of cloth or a special button can also hold memories of a family member.

Asking others in the family to share their memories, perhaps of the child as a baby, is always revealing and might result in a starting point for a longer story.

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Music is another trigger for memories.

A tune might hold a special memory for a child. Some of the lyrics might have a special meaning to them and could be used to illustrate an emotion that is triggered when hearing that song.

A musical instrument at home might hold memories for a family member that could be used to begin a story of perseverance and possibly performance.

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These activities encourage connecting with grandparents, older carers, friends or other family members – perfect opportunities for speaking and listening to people whose experience of living in past periods contrasts with our own everyday lives.

These rich interactions can help children garner ideas to put in their stories.

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Not everyone has mementos at home or someone available to share their memories.

Found objects can be sparks for a story. They open up possibilities – a pebble found on the beach or a hairclip on the pavement.

Your students could write as a reporter finding treasure whose meaning would be lost without their ideas.

Considering what a child might put in a time capsule today is another way a child could tell their story. Recording each item, illustrated with the importance the item has for them, would be a story in itself.

Giving a child a blank matchbox and asking them to illustrate it and place an object within is another way to tell a story when a child thinks they have nothing to share. Drawing inspiration from The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, who told his story in a series of objects from his childhood, in matchboxes, a child could select something small that is a revelation about themselves