Welcome to Story Steps
Story Steps sparks imagination and builds communication skills through movement and drama.
Story Steps is a rich collection of immersive storytelling experiences for nursery and reception children (age 3 to 5).
“From the very start, I invite children to stand up, and step into the story…” Trisha Lee – Creator of Story Steps, Artistic Director MakeBelieve Arts
As a special thank you, the first 100 receive a FREE Limited Edition Story Steps Teddy Bear!
Introducing Story Steps
- Designed by real practitioners, with real children, in real EYFS classrooms and settings, Story Steps gives children the chance to step inside a story, not just hear it.
- Bridging the gap between listening and acting, Story Steps helps you teach vital oracy, vocabulary, and social skills while nurturing a lifelong love of storytelling.
- Get ready to see your children step into stories like never before!
- As a special thank you, purchase Story Steps today, and we’ll send you a limited edition Story Steps teddy bear. Each bear has its own unique name, personality, and suggestions for how they can join in your classroom life. (First 100 orders, maximum of one bear per order).
Build confidence
Guided by Trisha Lee, your children will develop communication and oracy skills by stepping into stories like Ruby the Robot and Stanley the Stegosaurus, boosting their confidence to express themselves.
Enhance learning
Each story supports vocabulary growth, comprehension, and emotional resilience, ensuring your children build essential life skills while having lots of fun!
Made by practitioners
Created by EYFS Practitioners for EYFS Practitioners, Story Steps includes carefully developed tools and resources to support holistic, child-centred, learning and development.
Spark creativity
Our imaginative tales and sound effects spark curiosity, inviting your children to explore their own creative potential.
Each Story Steps Adventure includes:
- Before you step in: Short conversation starters to use before your children engage in the video for the first time.
- Watch, Listen, and Move: A seven-to-eight-minute interactive video of Trisha Lee leading your children on a Story Steps adventure.
- Talk about the story: Five questions designed to spark quality conversation and provoke imaginative, social, or emotional responses from your children, helping them connect more deeply with the themes and characters.
- Act the story: A Story Steps script that allows you to act out the story away from the video, offering additional flexibility for storytelling beyond the screen.
- Story cards: Picture cards that represent the Story Steps story, supporting your children’s comprehension at a deeper level. As well as helping EAL and SEND children, they can also be used for sequencing activities or for children to retell the story themselves.
- Key vocabulary: A list of four key action words connected to movement and meaning, used throughout the Story Steps video, script, and Story Cards.
- Dance to the music: A unique two-to-three-minute piece of specially composed music and sound effects from the story, also available to download to share with your children.
- Read around the story: A list of five of our favourite picture books that align with the themes of the Story Steps story, encouraging further exploration.
- Comprehensive training video: A video to help practitioners confidently take their first steps in bringing stories to life.
What our research practitioners say about Story Steps:
“The key benefit of Story Steps is in language development. The repetition really helped the children to fully understand the language – repeating, embedding and revisiting skills is so important with EYFS children.”
– Jemma, Reception Teacher
“I would definitely recommend Story Steps to other Early Years providers that are looking to bring storytelling to life, I have been amazed to see the development and I am looking forward to the next story and seeing the progression!”
– Faye, Reception Teacher
Each Story Steps purchase consists of:
- One year’s access to all the Story Steps stories and accompanying resources.
- A password protected login.
- Ten Story Step videos each of which can be shown on an interactive whiteboard (with more stories to be added throughout the year).
- For more information on getting started, please reach out via email at info@helicopterstories.co.uk
Pricing:
Subscribe to Story Steps for just £99 per school or setting per year.
There are two ways to pay:
- Online using a credit/debit card, giving you instant access to the programme.
- Pay by invoice. This takes up to 48 hours to set up.
Frequently asked questions
How many children can take part in Story Steps at once?
Story Steps is designed to work with a whole class but is just as effective with smaller groups.
Since all children act out the story together, it scales easily to different group sizes. The key is ensuring there is enough space for children to move freely and engage fully with the story.
Can I repeat the same Story Steps adventure multiple times, or should I move on to a new one?
Repetition is a vital part of the Story Steps experience, offering children the chance to build confidence, deepen understanding, and strengthen memory.
We recommend sharing each Story Steps adventure at least six times over two to three weeks to maximise its impact on memory and language retention.
How do I access the Story Steps videos?
Access to Story Steps is provided through an annual subscription. When you purchase the programme using a credit/debit card, you will automatically create your login, using your email address, and a password (both of which you can change after purchase.)
Please note that video and audio files can only be accessed via online streaming, but all accompanying resources (such as scripts, story cards and vocabulary lists) will be available to download and print.
How often should I use Story Steps with my children?
How you use Story Steps is flexible and can be adapted to your setting. We recommend a minimum of once a week, allowing children to become familiar with the stories and begin predicting what happens next. However, Story Steps can also be used two, three or even more times a week as part of a regular storytelling routine, helping to reinforce vocabulary, confidence, and engagement through repetition.
What is the best time of day to use Story Steps?
Story Steps can be used at any time of day, depending on what works best for your setting. Many practitioners might find it engaging as a morning session when children are fresh, but it can also work well in the afternoon or as a story session at the end of the day.
Do you offer a discount for small schools, settings, or childminders?
MakeBelieve Arts is a registered charity, and we are committed to supporting small schools, settings and childminders in accessing our programmes. We have a limited amount of funding available to discount the cost of Story Steps for settings or childminders who meet specific criteria.
To apply for a discount, please use the form below. While we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that all applications will be successful:
Programme Content
Before You Step In
Programme Includes
- 11 Lessons
Our children have a variety of different needs and abilities and they have all been so engaged. I have been amazed to see the development. Listening to them retell stories, with vocabulary and key words has been really amazing and beneficial! Thank you for letting us be part of the pilot.