Christmas Story Baskets
Story baskets are a fantastic way to engage young readers in the story or concept that you are reading. I've been doing story baskets since my eldest was a baby. Not only do they add great learning opportunities they are also a great sensory experience.
Christmas is such an exciting time for little ones and story baskets are a great way to explore especially for babies and toddlers who may be not be fully aware of what is going on. I mean how confusing must it be for a little one when the Christmas tree suddenly appears!
Something I've found over the years is that to create a good story basket for little ones is to actually keep it simple. My eldest is nine so I've been collecting items for a while but I always try to use items that I already have around the house.
So the first thing you will need is a basket or storage box to house your story basket. I only have one and I got it from Hobbycraft quite a few years ago. You don't need to go out and buy something specific. You could use a plastic storage box, wicker basket, tuff spot tray or even a cardboard box.
When making a story basket I try to include the following:
A book or two
A cuddly toy
Coloured scarves
There are no set rules though, it's all about letting your child explore different items that have different shapes, colours and textures. I like using lego bricks, wooden blocks and stickle bricks to inject some different materials. You can find some Christmas book inspiration here.
I've created four different Christmas themed baskets to give you some inspiration: Christmas, Elf, Santa and Reindeer.
Christmas Story Basket
For this Christmas story basket I used two Christmas books, 4 Christmas cuddly toys, 2 scarves, red duplo blocks, jingle bells, stickle bricks, wooden blocks, pompoms and Lanka Kade figures.
Elf Story Basket
For this elf story basket I used two elf books, an elf soft toy, green duplo blocks, green wooden blocks, jingle bells, coloured scarves, green stickle bricks and Lanka Kade figures.
Santa Story Basket
For this Santa story basket I used two Santa books, two soft toys, red duplo bricks, red wooden blocks, red stickle bricks, jingle bells, Santa bath glove, coloured scarves and a Santa Lanka Kade figure.
Reindeer Story Basket
For this story basket I used two reindeer books, two soft toys, a bath glove, red duplo blocks, jingle bells, red stickle bricks, red wooden blocks, red pompoms, two coloured scarves and a reindeer Lanka Kade figure.
There is no right or wrong way for children to explore story baskets. For younger children let them explore the basket while you read the books. Older children may enjoy exploring independently. It's a great activity that introduces Christmas to young children.
This post contains affiliate links which if purchased I may earn a small commission.
For more Christmas ideas you may like:
Post a Comment