# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Incorporating Loose Parts in the Early Childhood Classroom to Promote STEAM

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Children are naturally drawn to objects that allow open-ended play. This natural sense of creativity and wonder is what the theory of loose parts is all about.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEQUENCING (WHAT COMES NEXT?) FOR KINDERGARTEN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Even our youngest students have lots of stories to tell, whether real or imagined. How can we create entry points for writing, so that all writers feel confident and motivated to share their stories? How can we establish a classroom community of beginning writers where equity, empathy, and compassion become part of the process and vital by-products of story writing?

Enter story workshop, a structure for early literacy that amplifies the relationship between play, art, and writing. Children develop ideas and stories through choices of art materials. By creating images through play, story workshop invites children to explore the "amazingness" (Nisa, age 10) of their ideas in a variety of art forms. "Through their stories," Susan writes, "students share the meaning they make of their experiences in the world." Children in every classroom environment feel empowered to transition from play to pencil as they add words to their stories.

Story Workshop includes an abundance of classroom videos, photos, and student samples that illustrate what is possible when children use words, colors, textures, shapes and all kinds of materials to create the stories they want to tell. Watch how students' imaginations soar, their love of writing blossoms, and their connections with one another become the focal point of your classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How to create entry points for beginning writers by amplifying the relationship between play, art, and writing. - Heinemann

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Table of Contents

1. Classic Literary Characters

2. Story Book Characters that spark imagination

3. Fun Kids Book Characters

4. Animal Literary Character

5. Be sure to check out more birthday party ideas here:

6. Plus, don't miss the 50 Best Party Games For Kids

7. Children's Book Characters FAQs

8. More from Spaceships and Laser Beams

Kids often love reading because book characters grab their attention and take them along on grand adventures. Check out this list of 20 of the best children's book characters that become kids best book buddies. Classics like Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, The Gruffalo, Thomas the Train, and Peter Rabbit are sure to spark the imagination and remind one of childhood fun.

See Also:

Classic Literary Characters

1. Paddington Bear

Young readers have loved the stories of Paddington Bear for over fifty years. Famous for his love of marmalade, Paddington is a polite bear full of good intentions with a trusting nature that gets him into trouble. The Paddington Bear stories are filled with adventure, humor, and marmalade. Each and every story is sure to be loved by your children.

2. Winnie-the-Pooh

Winne-the-Pooh and his friends are the unforgettable creations of A.A. Milne, who wrote the books of Pooh's adventures for his son Christopher Robin. Winnie-the-Pooh and his stories are timeless treasures of childhood that continue to speak to us all with a fresh lightheartedness that any child will fall in love with.

3. Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the best-selling children's books of all time and is a delightful book to add to your child's growing library. The classic book introduces generation after generation of children to the magical world of Eric Carle which is a world full of whimsical illustrations and beautiful stories.

4. Postman Pat

Children will love heading to the quaint village of Greendale to join the world-famous Postman Pat, Jess, and all of their friends in the Postman Pat book series. The funny stories find Pat having to deal with everything from bouncy castles to runaway cows and pesky parrots. They are sure to delight any fan of the long-running television show.

5. Thomas the Train

Every day is a new adventure with Thomas the Tank Engine and his gang of friends. Thomas, Percy, Gordon, and all of the other engines work together on the Fat Controller's railway and have been delighting children across the world for over seventy years. Any train-loving little ones will love reading these stories before bed.

6. Cinderella

You really can't beat the classics, and Cinderella is one of those stories that is a must-read for every child. There are so many beautiful variations of the story and beloved characters in each one. Disney's version follows the story of Cinderella, a young girl with a cruel stepmother and a flurry of adorable forest friends.

Story Book Characters that spark imagination

7. The Gruffalo

One of the world's favorite picture books, The Gruffalo is an award-winning story about a clever little mouse outwitting the creatures of the deep dark wood. This rhyming story has already found its way into the hearts and bedtimes of an entire generation of children and will undoubtedly continue to enchant children for years to come.

8. Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling's spellbinding storytelling continues to captivate readers worldwide. This stunning box set contains all seven of the classic, award-winning Harry Potter novels and the enchanting world of wizards that are sure to be loved by children and adults.

9. Mr. Men

This delightful box set features a complete collection of the timeless Mr. Men stories. Inside are much-loved classic titles like Mr. Tickle and Mr. Bump, and you can also enjoy the newest additions to the collection. The love for these books ensures that any child will feel proud to have this set on their bookshelf.

10. Peter Rabbit

The classic Beatrix Potter storybook, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, is available in a colorful and generously sized board book. Young children will be enchanted by the simple text and beautiful illustrations, which bring this classic story to life. This book is a wonderful introduction for young readers to the world of Peter Rabbit and his friends.

Fun Kids Book Characters

11. Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last, but only five lucky children will be allowed inside. This beloved story by children's author Roald Dahl tells the adventurous story of Charlie Bucket, a boy who is honest, kind, brave, true, and ready for the wildest time of his life.

12. Peter Pan

Magic and excitement are in the air in the classic story of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. One starry night, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell lead the three Darling children over the rooftops of London and away to Neverland, the island where the lost boys play and fairies make mischief.

13. The Big Friendly Giant

The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly, which is lucky for little Sophie. Follow the miraculous adventure of a gentle giant and brave little girl on their quest to stop the chiddler from swallowing giants once and for all. The BFG is a marvelous story to read with all children of any age.

14. Alice

One of the most popular heroines in English literature, Alice is a loveable character who finds herself on a brilliant adventure after tumbling down a rabbit hole. With wonderfully eccentric characters such as the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the Mad Hatter, this story is a favorite among children everywhere.

15. Noddy

Every now and again it is nice to pull yourself away from everyday life and enter the calm and cozy atmosphere of Toy Village where Noddy lives. Enid Blyton writes an exciting and alluring story for children of all ages, with just enough mystery to spice things up. It is a great story for children young and old.

16. Charlie

This dazzling volume contains two classic Roald Dahl novels that have been children's favorites for generations. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the gates of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory are opening at last, and only five children are allowed inside. And then in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Charlie and Willy Wonka are back for a fantastic journey to outer space.

17. Matilda

Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. When Matilda is attacked by the terrible Miss Trunchball, she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. Join Matilda's adventure in the classic book that will surely brighten any day.

18. Pinocchio

Mischievous and full of tricks, the puppet Pinocchio causes trouble for his creator almost as soon as he comes to life. More than anything, what this naughty and playful creature wants is to become a "real boy". Come along on Pinocchio's amazing journey as he learns-the hard way-what it means to be real.

Animal Literary Character

19. Mog the Cat

Mog the Forgetful Cat is everyone's favorite family pet and has delighted generations of children with her antics since her first appearance in 1970. This fantastic set contains 10 Mog picture books for the whole family to enjoy and treasure for years to come.

20. Mr. Toad

The story begins when Mole abandons his spring cleaning to explore the world beyond his burrow. He scurries down to the riverbank, where he meets Ratty and discovers a carefree world of picnics and messing about in boats. There are adventures ahead, in the company of reckless Mr. Toad, and dangers to avoid when the two friends venture into the Wild Wood to visit Mr. Badger.

Be sure to check out more birthday party ideas here:

Children's Book Characters FAQs

What characters do children love?

More from Spaceships and Laser Beams

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top Beloved Storybook Characters - Spaceships and Laser Beams

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make bedtime fun and adventurous with classic books featuring these 20 Best-Loved Children's Book Characters

# data[].attributes.headline
How to get students ready to write stories

# data[].attributes.subject
How to get students ready to write stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Most kindergartners are just learning how to put letters and words together, but that doesn't mean they can't be writers. What they lack in technical ability, they more than make up for with creativity and imagination. Plus, kindergartners usually have lots to say! Kindergarten writing prompts, often called story starters, help young writers focus on a single topic as they develop writing skills. Topics should be broad enough that every child can easily think of something to write about and interesting enough that they stay engaged. Developing a daily writing routine helps kindergartners develop confidence as they learn to articulate their thoughts in a structured way.

The following writing prompts are designed to spark your kindergartners' imaginations and get them writing! And they are perfect for in-person or virtual learning.

(Want this entire set in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here, so you'll always have the challenges available!)

1. Tell about your favorite stuffy.

2. Make a list of 3 things you like and 3 things you don't like.

3. What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

4. I'm really good at ...

5. If I could fly ...

6. Describe an interesting place you've visited.

7. Something I like to do that makes me happy is ...

8. Do you prefer to play inside or outside? What do you do there?

9. What is your favorite season and why?

10. The best part of being in kindergarten is ...

11. If I were a superhero my superpower would be ...

12. When I am 100 years old ...

13. When I was a baby ...

14. My favorite part of the school day is ...

15. Tell about a time you were a good helper.

16. What is one activity you like to do with your family?

17. Tell about your best friend.

18. My mom (or dad) always ...

19. My favorite animal is _____ because ...

20. Once upon a time ...

21. If you made dinner for your family what would you make?

22. What is your favorite color? Name 3 things that are that color.

23. If you had 3 wishes, what would you wish for?

24. What makes you giggle?

25. Tell me about your favorite book.
Get My Kindergarten Writing Prompts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Fun Kindergarten Writing & Storytelling Prompts (Free Printable!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These kindergarten writing prompts are perfect to spark your imaginations and get students writing! Perfect for in-person or virtual learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Story workshop started with a question embraced by teacher-researchers at Opal School, including me and my colleagues. We asked: What is the connection between literacy and the arts? Inspired and curious about the rich landscape we expected to find around this intersection, we asked more questions:

What might be the role of play?

What happens when we infuse writing workshop with ample use of the arts and time to play?

How do the voice and the choice that result when we invite children to create and tell their stories lead a classroom to practice the habits of healthy democracy?

How does this practice, as a first priority, both rely on and reinforce equity and access for all?

Story workshop invites teachers who understand that children learn best through play, but struggle to find a place for it, to infuse it right into literacy instructional time-and they are seeing the explosion of motivation and engagement that happens when they do. Story workshop helps teachers who have practiced writing workshop for a long time, but have been challenged by those students who say they never have anything to write about, find out that all children have stories to tell.

Story workshop allows teachers who lament the loss of the arts in the child's school day to find a way to put them to use in new ways that work for everyone.

As schools are transitioning between virtual and in person instruction, story workshop is a powerful way to fuse social emotional learning, community building, and vigorous literacy instruction during a time when teachers are not going to be able to afford to compartmentalize those things. Children need to share their experiences, their emotional lives, and to find their way back to one another and to school, and story workshop is designed to joyfully facilitate that.

How Does Story Workshop Work?
Story Workshop is a structure and approach that supports language and literacy development in the preschool and primary grades. Adults work alongside children as they explore prepared environments and experiences and share stories. Together they wonder:

Where do stories live?

What stories do I want the world to hear?

What stories do I need to tell?

How do stories influence me and our community?

How do my stories become part of my community, and how do the stories of others in my community become a part of me?

At Opal School, story workshop takes place four or five days a week and lasts up to ninety minutes. Teachers in other schools have developed their own rhythms of story workshop that work for them in their unique settings.

In every story workshop, adults invite children to imagine, write, edit, revise, publish, and share their stories. Prepared spaces and organized materials inspire and entice children to overflow with thoughts and ideas and memories and imagination. Materials like blocks, paint, water, sand, colored pencils, and loose-parts collage become the vehicles for the children's stories and act as inspiration as they capture them on paper as increasingly skilled writers. Adults facilitate children to engage as a thought community, listening to one another's stories and considering their influence on their lives and in their classroom. They construct meaning together as they make sense of the world they experience together.

What Are the Structures and Routines of Story Workshop?

There are five elements that make up the structure of story workshop:

1. Preparation happens prior to the children's arrival. It includes organizing materials and environments specifically designed to support both the children's story creation and the teacher's research.

2. Provocation is the whole-group session that begins each story workshop. It includes a proposal the teacher introduces to the children to engage, sustain, and extend their interests and curiosity.

3. Invitation and negotiation is the transition between provocation and creation. It is intended to support each child with a plan to get started.

4. Story creation makes up the bulk of a session of story workshop. It is a time for using the arts and play as well as writing to make meaning, to imagine, to create, and to share stories.

5. Story sharing brings closure to story workshop each day. It is a time for building community through story and reflection.

The organizational structure is sequential, but I encourage you to dive in anywhere that you feel most comfortable. The element of the structure you are most curious about and in which you can find the most connections to your current work would be a good place to take beginning steps into the theory and practice of story workshop. Give yourself time, and observe your students, who will have plenty to teach you!

To learn more about Story Workshop visit Heinemann.com.

A teacher for 25 years, Susan Harris MacKay most recently served as Pedagogical Director at Opal School in Portland, Oregon, where the idea of story workshop began in her classroom. As a national speaker, she has inspired thousands of teachers to expand their use of play, the arts, and inquiry to support children's rights to high quality educational environments upon which our democracy depends.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What happens when we infuse writing workshop with ample use of the arts and time to play? An introduction to Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers by Susan Harris MacKay.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We often think of story time as adults telling kids stories, or reading storybooks. But we probably less often think of story time as an opportunity for kids to be creative. There are benefits to kids telling their own stories, however.

In this article, we'll explain the pros of allowing kids to be the storyteller, and to make up their own stories to tell you, the adult.

1) Kids telling their own stories fosters creative thinking

This is probably the most obvious point. When kids get a chance to make up and tell their own stories to adults, by necessity, they have to get creative. They have to come up with an interesting plot, some unique characters and their traits, and they have to think ahead of 'what happens next' in this story.

Imagination is a wide open world when kids tell their own stories - and that means that they can be the main protagonist, with untold, desired abilities and then go through experiences they dream of having. Or they can name characters after their best friends or siblings, out of affection. Or tell the story of their pet's adventures in the outdoors when nobody's watching. Making things up means coming up with ideas that no one has told them before. And this can be the starting point to even more creative thinking.

And, as Albert Einstein has said,

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research."

Of course, you can start kids off with the first sentence or two if they're feeling stuck! But encouraging imagination through kids' own storytelling can help open their minds to new creative ideas, according to Einstein.

2) Kids being the storyteller can develop language skills

But, stories don't have to be made up to encourage creativity. Even finding the words to retell what really happened can encourage new ways of being able to express oneself. This is described as a benefit of a writer whose mother encouraged storytelling as a child. In addition to language skills, and exercised creativity, the writer realized about his mother's strategy that:

"What seemed like just a game to us was really a fantastic learning opportunity. She was teaching us to translate the information and knowledge we had picked up throughout the day into words."

3) Kids can learn presentation skills and organizational thought when telling stories

Part of the skill of storytelling is being able to maintain audience interest. This involves at least two things:

1. Being able to dramatize the story verbally through bodily actions, or tone of voice and use of descriptive language.

2. Being able to organize a story with a clear beginning, middle, climax and end. Sometimes this also involves coming up with a morale to a story, which takes planning and deeper thought.

Being able to read out loud a story that a child wrote and illustrated can also result in self confidence. As adults, we know it's hard to put ourselves out there. But when we take that risk, and then see that people loved our work, and it wasn't so scary after all, we can get better at doing it again. Thus, kids can learn to be good presenters and articulators of information through the practice of telling stories.

4) Telling stories helps kids with learning other subjects

You may have heard this quote in your lifetime, which rings true for all learners, not just little ones:

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

So, based on that logic, it makes a lot of sense that when you make kids the storytellers, they can learn easier. According to this essay, "the process of constructing stories in the mind, is one of the most fundamental ways of making meaning, and thus pervades all aspects of learning."

In other words, encouraging kids to tell stories helps them remember things. Let's take vocabulary for example. It is a literacy skill that all adults will need in their life, according to the article above. So if you learn a word, that is one thing. But if you then find a way to use it in your own story, you have made it 'yours,' in a sense. It's more likely you'll remember that word in the future, especially having used that new knowledge in a real-life application or context. And in storytelling, you are, in a sense, teaching what you've just learned.

But far beyond that, as the essay linked to above notes, you can use storytelling to help kids memorize facts about any subject. If they are learning a science lesson, telling stories about that subject can help them "internalize" it.

Kids telling their own stories can happen anytime of day

The great thing about storytelling with kids is that it can happen anywhere. You can encourage the benefits of kids telling their own stories while driving them somewhere, at night before bed, during bath time or even at the dinner table to spark conversation. Storytelling can be a way for you to bond with your child, and to keep them engaged with you. It can also be a great 'downtime' activity, if you're tired of chasing them while playing more active games!
See more on our blog:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Benefits of kids telling their own stories by Rainforest Learning Centre

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are benefits to kids telling their own stories. It fosters creative thinking, can help them learn, develop language skills and more.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to help students learn to create stories

# data[].attributes.subject
How to help students learn to create stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Storytelling is a great skill to teach to kids. It helps improve their language skills, instills a love of reading and stirs their imagination. Here are seven ways to teach your kids how to tell stories.

Instill the love of storytelling

Storytelling is a great skill to teach to kids. It helps to improve their language skills, instills a love of reading and stirs their imagination. Here are seven ways to teach your kids how to tell stories.

Research suggests that the fear of speaking in public is the second greatest fear that adults have. Getting kids comfortable with speaking in front of audiences at an early age is just one benefit of teaching kids how to tell stories, says Christine French Cully, editor-in-chief of Other benefits of teaching Highlights. children the art of storytelling include building their confidence, improving their writing skills and instilling a love of reading, she says.

Here are seven ways you can teach your kids the art of storytelling.

Expose them to good storytelling

Local libraries often bring in storytellers.

"Many professional storytellers make and sell recordings, and they often appear at festivals and other cultural events," Cully says. "Some areas also offer classes."

Let them choose their story

Expose kids to a great number of short books and magazine short stories, and let them choose to learn to tell the one they love the most, Cully says.

"They won't give it their all if they don't really get a kick out of the story," she says.

If you're going to have children memorize the text, Cully suggests that you look for stories that don't rely on illustrations to fill in the gaps.

"Stories that are cumulative or include a repetitive refrain, which invites audience participation, work well," she says. "The stories should also be complete - with a beginning, middle and end - and they should make the audience laugh, cry or feel fear or sadness."

Have fun with "string-a-long stories"

Practicing telling stories in any form is helpful, and the more fun you have while practicing, the more effective it will likely be for learning. So says Dr. Alice Wilder, chief content officer for Speakaboos. One fun activity is telling a string-a-long story, which can be done with any number of people.

"The story starter can be, 'Once upon a time...,' but just be sure that the person whose turn it is to tell the next part of the story says something that connects to the line before," Wilder says. "Telling string-a-long stories, like Mad Libs, helps you understand various parts of stories and makes you use your imagination and think about what might come next."

Help kids see the need to throw their whole body into storytelling.

"Good storytelling uses body language, expression in their voices, varying volume - yes, they have permission to be loud - a sense of pacing and eye contact with their listeners," Cully says. "Some teachers I know have their children practice staring into one another's eyes to get comfortable making eye contact."

A blank piece of paper can be intimidating, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

"The value of a wordless picture book is that it provides a setting, characters and some visual cues to inspire the imagination," Wilder says.

Practice, practice, practice

Children will become more comfortable with storytelling by practicing in front of a mirror or videotaping themselves telling their stories.

"Practice in front of a few other kids or family is helpful, too, particularly if the audience can be coached to give gentle, constructive feedback," Cully says.

Practice makes memorization of the story easier, too, she says.

"But practice doesn't always make perfect, and that's OK," she says.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun, so Cully says you should reassure the children that if they forget a part or get a little tongue-tied, it's all right.

Check your local community to see whether acting, writing or illustration classes are available for kids. Many municipalities, libraries and art- education groups will offer classes that not only teach kids about how to tell an interesting story but also help them step out of their comfort zone to expand their imagination.

More on children's stories
10 Children's books that teach diversity
6 Books to help children cope with deployment
Preschool story time: 5 Classic must-reads

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instill the love of storytelling with these tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stir your kid's imagination with these 7 storytelling tips.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parts of a Book | Pre-K Version | Jack Hartmann

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Perfect Books for Teaching Story Sequencing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find the perfect book for teaching story sequencing and retelling. This list describes each title, and then also points out other skills the story can also teach.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You've probably heard the term before but may be wondering what is writing workshop? Simply put, it is a student-centered framework for teaching writing. Consisting of mini-lessons, status update, writing and sharing, writer's workshop will inspire your students on a daily basis.