PEFaL Children’s Programme Development

Session: Module 2 Week 4 Focus: Hidden Stories: Exploring feelings through books Parents / Children: Joint

Session Exploring stories

4.2

General Developing and reinforcing empathy skills

Objectives Developing and reinforcing communication skills
Using books and stories to talk and read about feelings

Development Targets Resources

2.25 p.m. Food, toilets, change • Preparation for session • Food
• Sanitary facilities
20 • T-shirt put on
minutes

2.45 p.m. Transition Activity/Activities1:

15 Energiser: Pass the Mask Oracy: • Open space

minutes • Giving instructions
• The children sit in a circle.
• The first person makes a funny face. Motor:
• The second person (to the left or right) • Miming
makes the same face as he /she is shown • Physical movement
by the first person. • Body awareness
• The second person then turns to the third • Co-ordination
person and makes a funny face of his / her

1
Focus on energiser.
 own. PSD / Social:
• The third person then repeats it back to the • Predicting sequence of
second person. events
• The third person turns to the fourth person • Turn taking
and makes a funny face of his / her own. • Group skills
• This continues until everyone in the circle • Communication skills
has imitated a funny face and made one of
their own.
• This game can also be played by having
the tutor or a child suggesting funny faces
to make, for instance, make a funny face of
a rabbit eating a carrot; make a funny face
of a man peeling onions and crying.
• This helps children to be creative and mime
different people in different funny situations
and so ideas are never lacking

3.00 p.m. Circle Time • Cooling down activity • Cushions or other

• Introductory discussion seating
5 minutes • Recalling what was done
during the previous session
• Instruction giving

3.05 p.m. Big Group Activity2:

20 Musical Emotions Oracy:

minutes • Listening • Open space
• The tutor draws a large circle on the ground • Instruction giving • Board
2
Step-by-step development
 and splits it into different sections. • Talking about ideas • Markers (chalk
• In each section, the tutor writes down a • Talking about feelings and/or other
different emotion, like happiness, sadness, • Answering questions markers)
loneliness, surprise, anger, calm, fear, • Talking about past / present/ • Flashcards with
peace etc. (Instead of writing on the ground future emotions written on
the tutor can write the emotions on • Creating and joining in the them (if necessary).
flashcards and put the flashcards in the story • Flashcards with
different sections). • Empathising and scenarios written on
• The tutor has a bag or box with other extrapolating them.
flashcards, each flashcard having a different • Predicting sequence of • Music player and
scenario written on it. events music
• The different scenarios can include: at • Retrieve and convey
school with my friends, at home with my messages
family, at the dentist, at a party, during a
test, at the sports ground, etc. The more Motor:
familiar the scenarios are to the children, the
• Co-ordination
better.
• Moving and keeping in time
• The tutor chooses a child to help him /her.
with music
• The tutor puts the other children in groups of
• Holding a position
three.
• Balance
• The tutor starts the music and all the players
• Physical movement –
walk around the circle according to their
stretching, holding, reaching
group.
etc.
• The tutor stops the music.
• The child-helper takes a flashcard out of the Reading:
bag and the children stop on one of the
• Using words from other
spaces indicating an emotion.
activities / stories in other
• The child-helper reads out the scenario (for types of situations / play
instance, at a party) and sticks it to the
 board for everyone to see. • Recognising words
• The other players have to mime out a scene • Spelling and reading
out of that scenario using the emotion they challenging words
stopped on (for instance, at a party one • Understanding general
child feeling lonely because he is too shy to context
join the others).
• The children have to mime examples of that Writing:
emotion from real life. • None associated with this
• Each group describes in turn the scenario it activity
is miming.
• After each group has had a turn, the tutor PSD / Developmental:
chooses a different child to be helper, the • Listening and sharing
other child joins the group instead and the • Co-ordination and co-
game starts again. operation
• The game continues in this way. • Developing of self
• Developing discussion skills
• Turn taking
• Developing communication
skills
• Developing empathy and
dealing with other feelings
• Predicting sequence of
events
• Talking about experiences
• Developing group skills

3.25 p.m. Small Group Activity:

40 Making Stories Oracy: • Sample booklets for

minutes • Listening all participants
• Children and parents are given a sample • Talking about and sharing • Writing materials
booklet. ideas • Drawing and
• The children have to create a new title • Talking about and sharing colouring materials
for the story, write down the author’s feelings • Other stationery (if
(their) name and the designer’s name • Answering questions necessary)
(who is going to draw the pictures). • Talking about past / present/
• Then, with the help of the parents and future
with possible (but not necessary) • Creating and joining in the
reference to the story in the big book, the story
children and parents discuss situations in • Predicting sequence of
which the children feel a particular events
emotion. • Convey messages
• The emotion discussed does not have to
be loneliness; it could be happiness, Reading:
fear, surprise, etc. • Practice book handling skills
• The children with the parents’ help draw • Practice reading skills
pictures which refer to this emotion and
write a short story about how they feel Writing:
(or felt) in that particular situation when
• Use words learnt previously
they feel (or felt) that emotion.
. in other contexts to create
• After everyone is finished, the children story
can read out the stories to the other
• Create a sequence of events
people.
• String words into structured
• The books produced can be exhibited in
sentences
the room before being put into the
• Sequence sentences to
portfolio.
create a whole text
• Make own booklet
 • Design and write own booklet
Note • Know the difference between
This activity could be varied. Instead of having drawing and writing
only the children write a story, the tutor could • Joining in with adult writing
ask both children and parents to each produce • Practice manipulation,
a story so they can share their feelings with spelling and writing skills –
each other. writing from left to right, using
clear letters, using spaces
between individual words,
writing one word for each
word needed, spelling a
range of previously learnt
vocabulary correctly, writing
simple sentences with
minimum of help

PSD / Developmental:
• Listening and sharing
• Co-ordination and co-
operation
• Developing of self
• Developing discussion and
communication skills
• Developing motor / design
skills
• Developing empathy and
awareness of other feelings
• Predicting sequence of
events
 • Practice reading and writing
further

4.05 p.m. Closure:

10 Distributing the home link-up activity

minutes • Concluding activity • Cushions or other
• Families are asked to keep a log covering • Review of things learnt during seating
the following couple of days. the session • Handout with
• On this log they have to note things that the • Establishing the session’s activity instructions
family did together and what feeling this home link-up activity (if necessary)
gave them.
• Parents are asked to take special note of
those times when the family or different
members of the family had the chance to
read together, any kind of print in any kind
of situation.
• Parents are to share their observations with
the others during the following week.

In Portfolio:

Booklets produced, parents log when eventually discussed during the parents’ session.