From Story To Play Toolkit

From Story to Play

A quick Early Years planning toolkit through Read • Play • Talk

Move beyond simply reading a story and setting up a themed activity.

From Story to Play is a practical Early Years planning toolkit designed to help practitioners take one good story and turn it into meaningful opportunities for play, language, imagination and conversation.

The focus is simple:

Read the story. Spot the possibility. Follow the play.

Rather than trying to force one book into every area of provision, this resource helps you identify the strongest parts of the story and choose a few purposeful ways children might explore them further. 

Inside you’ll find:

• a simple Read • Notice • Plan • Follow process
• a Story Snapshot planning page
• prompts to help you identify the strongest story hook
• ideas for choosing from a character, setting, problem, object, moment or feeling
• a story-led planning wheel to help generate purposeful possibilities
• prompts for linking stories into small world, construction, role play, creative, sensory/investigation and outdoor provision
• space to jot down and adapt ideas for your own children and setting
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Perfect for:

• Nursery and preschool practitioners
• Reception and EYFS teams
• Childminders
• Teaching assistants
• EYFS leaders
• Staff meetings and planning discussions
• Anyone looking to make story-led provision more purposeful

This resource is designed to help you plan from the story, rather than simply decorate provision around a theme.

You do not need to use every area.

You do not need ten activities from one book.

Sometimes one strong story idea is enough to spark rich play, thinking and talk. 

The aim isn’t to recreate the whole story.

It’s to give children somewhere to take it.



READ • PLAY • TALK

Read, Play, Create