T's Terrific Animal Tale Creation!

Let's Get Started: Animal Chat! (5 minutes)

• "Hi T! Today, we're going to make a very special story all about an animal! What's your favorite animal today? Or maybe an animal we saw in a book or outside?"
• Show T a few animal picture cards or soft toys if they need help choosing.
• "Let's make some animal sounds! If you picked a cat, can you say 'meow'? If it's a dog, 'woof woof'!"

Our Big Story Time: T Tells, I Write! (10-15 minutes)

• "Okay, T, you picked the [Animal Name]! That's a great choice! Now, tell me a story about your [Animal Name]. What is the [Animal Name] doing? Where is it? Who is with the [Animal Name]?"
• Have your paper and marker ready. As T starts talking, say, "Wow, what a great story! I'm going to write down your special words so we can remember them."
• Write down T's story, word for word, even if it's just a few phrases or a short sentence. Say the words aloud as you write them: "T said, 'The doggie... is... running.' I'm writing 'The doggie is running!'"
• Read the story back to T slowly, pointing to each word as you say it. "Look, T! This says, '[Read T's story]'. These are your words!"
• If T adds more, great! Add it to the story.

Picture Power: T the Artist! (10-15 minutes)

• "Now that we have our story written down, let's draw a picture for it! Here are some crayons/chunky markers. Can you draw your [Animal Name] and what it's doing in your story?"
• Provide large paper and child-safe, chunky crayons or markers.
• Encourage any kind of mark-making. "Oh, I see you're using the [color] crayon! Is that the [Animal Name]? That's wonderful!"
• The adult can draw a very simple version of the animal nearby if T wants some inspiration, but let T lead the illustration.

Letter Safari: Let's Trace! (5-7 minutes)

• Look at the story you wrote. Pick a simple, prominent letter. Maybe the first letter of the animal's name, or the letter 'T' if it's in the story. For example, if the story is about a "Cat," you can pick 'C'.
• "Look, T! This is the letter 'C' for 'Cat'! (Or 'T' for 'T'!) It's a special letter from your story."
• On a separate piece of paper, or at the bottom of the story page, write the chosen letter very large (e.g., 3-4 inches high). You can write it as a dotted line or a very light solid line.
• "Let's try to trace this letter with our finger first. Whee! Around we go!" (Guide T's finger if needed).
• "Now, let's try with a crayon! We can go over my lines." Offer hand-over-hand guidance if T is willing. Focus on the experience and exposure, not perfection. One or two attempts are fine.
• "Great job, T! You traced the letter [Letter]!"

Story Celebration! (3-5 minutes)

• Hold up the finished story with its illustration. "Look at this amazing story T made! You told the story with your words, I wrote them down, you drew a picture, and you even traced a letter!"
• Read the story one more time with enthusiasm.
• Display T's story proudly (e.g., on the fridge).

Clean Up Together: (Optional, but good practice)

• "All done! Let's put our crayons and paper away. Great helping!"