Gingerbread Run Retell
What you need
- a gingerbread person drawn on paper and cut out by you
- crayons
- four or five soft toys
How to do it
- Tell the story of the Gingerbread Man together, with the paper gingerbread person in your hand.
- Every time he runs, say the line together, "Run, run, as fast as you can!", and run on the spot.
- Line up the soft toys as the people and animals he meets, and let your child do their voices.
- In your version the fox is kind: it gives him a ride across the river, and everyone has a dance on the other side.
- Then let your child tell it to you, moving the gingerbread person and the toys themselves.
Why it matters
Telling a story they know, with actions and voices, builds memory and new words, and changing the ending shows them stories can be theirs.
What they're learning
- Retelling
- Putting the story in order means remembering what comes next.
- Voices and lines
- Saying the repeated line and doing voices is talking practice they love.
- Running and stopping
- Running on the spot and stopping on the word keeps their body in the story.
What to look for
Watch for them saying the run line before you, and telling you who comes next.
A tip
Any version of the story works. A kind fox keeps it gentle and gives everyone a happy ending.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: do just the running line and the actions while you tell it
Harder: make up a new animal for him to meet, and a new line for it to say
