Our children had a wonderful time exploring one of our favourite stories, The Gruffalo. We began by reading the book together, looking closely at the pictures and talking about all the different characters the mouse meets in the deep, dark wood. The Gruffalo himself captured everyone’s attention, with his “terrible tusks” and “purple prickles” sparking lots of excitement and conversation.
As we read, the children joined in with repeated phrases, pointed out familiar animals, and copied the sounds of the characters—hissing like the snake, hooting like the owl, or padding around like the fox. Their engagement and excitement showed how much they enjoyed listening to and exploring the story.
To bring the story to life even more, we introduced Gruffalo puppets. The children were drawn to them immediately, enjoying holding the puppets, making them “talk,” and acting out little scenes from the story. Some introduced the puppets to friends, while others explored their textures and moved them around the room. The puppets encouraged language development as children repeated character names, animal sounds, and short phrases from the book.
Exploring the puppets also supported early pretend play and turn-taking. The children took turns sharing their favourite puppets and proudly showed them to friends and staff. Imagination was at the heart of the activity, with Gruffalos waving hello, mice going on adventures, and owls flying gently through the room.
