‘How to Catch an Elf’ is one of the most fun Christmas picture books that we have. And my kiddos just LOVE when we read it. However, in our class, we like to read a little differently. We love to turn our stories into sensory stories!
So, what are sensory stories?
I suppose they’re different for everyone and we’ve never followed any set plan or ‘tutorial’ for our sensory stories. We basically look at our stories and think of ways that we can turn the story into a sensory session. This is where our students can become more involved with the story – keeping them engaged for longer. It also means that they get to use all – or most – of their senses.
What are the benefits?
From personal experience, I can’t tell you how much the children LOVE a sensory story. It does prolong the story – making it last that little longer – but my kids love it. And these are kids who wouldn’t sit for more than 2-3 minutes. They love becoming more involved with the story. It’s really improved on their understanding, sitting and listening skills as well as their confidence. It’s lovely to watch my kiddos confidence grow as they want to take part in the story and become more involved.
What does it consist of?
So, first of all, you need to buy the book that you want to use. Then, scan it and upload the pictures onto a powerpoint presentation. I make sure to have my kids sat by the IWB. When we read the story, we have the pages displayed on the IWB as well as me holding the book up. That way the children can look at which one they prefer.
Then, have your sensory script and all of your items ready. I recommend gathering all your items together and then putting them in a box that you can put of your children’s reach or locked away. Once they start to enjoy the sessions – they’re going to hunt out your sensory bits, and it’s a nightmare if you can’t find them in the middle of a story. So, a quick check before you call all the children over to sit down is great too.
Then, follow the script. You must purchase the book to go along with this resource. This resource does not contain any information from the book and the script just tells you which page to use each item for, and how to use the item. You can purchase ‘How to Catch an Elf’ in most stores or (aff. link) here on Amazon.
Where can I get the script?
Right here. You’ll be re-directed to Dropbox where you can download the resource direct to your desktop. I recommend printing out the story script and laminating it. Once you have got all your items together, put them into a sack of box. Then keep this box to use the items year after year – you will need to purchase new food/drink each year, but everything else will be there ready for you!
If you like this blog post and sensory story, please considering pinning it or sharing it with your friends on social media so they can use it too!
