Helicopter Stories champions the work of Vivian Gussin Paley and utilises the power of story and poetry to enhance children’s communication and language development.
Championing the work of Vivian Gussin Paley, Helicopter Stories is an accessible and child-centred approach for young children aged 2 – 7 years old. Rooted in storytelling and story-acting, it helps teachers and practitioners to support the needs and development of each and every child.
Alongside our trusty guide – Helicopter Stories On Demand, and resources, you’ll just need the contents of your desk drawer and some eager participants to get going.
Once you’re familiar with the approach, you’ll be ready to share it with your children, hear their stories regularly and help them to act out their stories. You’ll be amazed at the joy it injects into your day. Story is an unparalleled tool that children use instinctively, and a story-rich diet makes for well-rounded, empathetic individuals. At Helicopter Stories, we believe in the transformative nature of the Early Years, and therefore in any adult who facilitates them.
It’s hard to strike the balance between meeting statutory requirements and teaching in a way that reflects your philosophy. We’ve learnt that a language-rich setting, supported by story and poetry, has the power to meet those requirements, and then go above and beyond. Expect enhanced speaking and language skills, an increased eagerness to write, all while centring the child.
Because fundamentally, Helicopter Stories is a flexible approach that allows you to get to know your children and their needs better. The secret? Guiding from the side and encouraging creativity, freedom of expression and curiosity through the medium of story. It’s no wonder that one of our practitioners hailed the approach ‘food for the professional soul’.
After being equipped with the tools in this course, you will be ready to guide sessions as soon and often as you wish. We find that children enjoy doing Helicopter Stories at least once a week, however it can be as flexible as need be.
The Helicopter Stories approach can also be used in tandem with Poetry Basket 1: Seasons, Poetry Basket 2, Story Steps or Listening Tales to create a real literary playground.
In schools and settings, a child-centred approach means developing a curriculum based on children and their needs, not developing children based on a curriculum. It involves being guided by the children’s interests, and creating a safe space for their organic and creative development. At Helicopter Stories, we call it trusting the child.
Finding the balance between a child-centred approach and providing structure can require real skill and confidence. Helicopter Stories aims to tread that line by providing a framework through which children can be heard, curious and creative. We motivate 2 to 7-year-olds to engage confidently in communication, exciting them about the rhythm and rhyme of language and letting them know they are capable and have a story to share.
We also offer The Poetry Basket 1: Seasons, The Poetry Basket 2, Story Steps and Listening Tales as part of our online learning programmes. They are detailed schemes compiled by Trisha Lee and the MakeBelieve Arts team to guide Communication and Language development in the Early Years.
The Poetry Basket includes 40 lesser-known children’s rhymes from anonymous authors and follows the seasons of the year. It is accompanied by demonstrative videos, activities, discussion suggestions and more, for exploration with children from pre-school through to Year 1. The Poetry Basket 2, which is available on a yearly subscription basis, contains a further 60 poems for those who want to further enrich their settings with fantastic vocabulary, rhythm and rhyme. The poems follow ten themes including: Dinosaurs, All About Me, Insects and Minibeasts, Space, Animals, Weather and The Natural World. Their essential counterpart – Listening Tales – comprises 27 audio-tales to create a story-rich diet for your children; it facilitates listening and attention skills, creativity, imagination and beyond.
While all our baskets can be used in isolation, they are best used alongside Helicopter Stories for a colourful and engaging curriculum.
Vivian Gussin Paley was a Kindergarten teacher and early childhood education author, and our Helicopter Stories curriculum is based entirely on her work. During her lifetime, she made an enormous contribution to Early Years education across the world.
Vivian’s research has shaped the way we think about fantasy play and storytelling. Throughout her teaching career, Vivian reflected on the events of her classroom. She wrote thirteen books and numerous articles based on her observations of the children she worked with and on the significant role Storytelling and Story Acting played in her understanding of their needs.
Vivian was patron to the MakeBelieve Arts charity since we founded in 2002, and we hope Helicopter Stories does much to continue her legacy. To find out more about her work, you can read our book reviews, written by experts in the field, covering her child-centred approach to education.
Give your team a full year of training in scribing and acting out your children’s stories. Helicopter Stories On Demand includes everything you need to begin delivering Helicopter Stories in your setting. The standard package covers access for up to...Read More
Act out immersive story adventures as a group, building confidence, teamwork, and imagination. Story Steps is a music and movement-based storytelling programme for children aged 3 to 6. Each adult-led story encourages children to listen closely, move with care, and...Read More
Engage imagination, develop listening skills, and inspire rich conversations with audio-only stories for children aged 3–7. Listening Tales from the Story Basket includes audio stories paired with word banks, discussion prompts, and a Helicopter Stories version of each tale, perfect...Read More
The Poetry Basket includes 36 lesser-known children’s rhymes from anonymous authors and follows the seasons of the year. Suitable for Teachers, Early Years Practitioners, Parents and Carers of children aged 2 to 7.
Bring the seasons to life through rhythm, rhyme, and poetry, supporting language and imagination for ages 2–7. Poetry Basket 1: Seasons includes 40 carefully chosen, lesser-known children’s poems, following the cycle of the year. Ideal for teachers, early years practitioners,...Read More
Explore rhythm and rhyme through themed poems that build language, memory, and joy for children aged 2–7. Poetry Basket 2 includes poems across ten engaging themes: Dinosaurs, All About Me, Emotions, Down on the Farm, Superheroes, Insects and Minibeasts, Space,...Read More
Three beautifully illustrated picture books with video readings by Trisha Lee, bringing storytelling and story acting to life. This programme includes all three books from the Helicopter Stories Tales series, each accompanied by a video reading and teacher’s notes with...Read More
Support parents to bring Helicopter Stories home with this resource for experienced practitioners working with families. Helicopter Stories at Home includes all the training, guidance, and materials you need to introduce the approach to parents and carers. This programme is...Read More
Bring the magic of Christmas to life with poems, stories, and songs that spark joy and build language. The Christmas Basket is a festive resource for EYFS and Year 1, filled with creative content that supports communication, creativity, and celebration...Read More
