Wee Inspirations

Storytelling Hat

  1. The Basic Idea

    Before you begin, have a simple  story structure in your head – the ideas you gather in the story hat will add to this story.  “This is a special hat…this is my storytelling hat – we fill it with ideas, and when I put it on my head the story appears in my brain”. Show how you put ideas in the hat – maybe you whisper them into the hat, or “catch” words in your hand and pretend to stuff them in, or even pretend to write them on your hands before placing them in. 

  2. Over To You, Wee One

    “I wonder what you’d like to see in the story?” encourage children to suggest characters, objects and events, and put at them in the hat. Asking “Show me what you’d like to add to the story hat” gives wee ones the chance to share their ideas through movements, facial expressions and sounds that can be added to the story. 

    Then put the hat on and do your best to tell the story with all the suggestions included! 

  3. Cheeky Bonuses

    • Builds sense of agency in wee ones – they see the difference their ideas make to the story 
    • Developing listening and memory 
    • Teamwork! Work together to remember all the elements that went into the hat 

  4. Variations

    • Older, more verbal children may want to take turns wearing the hat and steering the story  
    • If you think you’ve forgotten any of the story elements, say you think some of the ideas are stuck – can anyone help you “find” them in the hat? (if they “find” something completely different, you can say that must have been left in there from another story) 
    • Sharing your basic story structure at the start can help choose a theme – e.g. day at the zoo/beach/journey into space – you may want to choose a theme based on the interests of your wee ones 

  5. And Remember...

    There are no wrong suggestions! Sometimes the silliest ideas make the best stories. Your basic story structure is there to help you, but if you need to abandon it because everyone at the beach gets eaten by a dinosaur its absolutely fine. This is the chance to communicate and create together, not write the next best seller.