I start by explaining about how I write, where ideas come from etc. We then come up with ideas for characters, drawing them first so that it's easy to picture them when writing. Then I hand out collected objects and a load of word cards (two for each child plus one object for each table) and then get them to write a short story including the words on the word card and the object. We first practise writing a story altogethe, writing down the ideas on a flipchart. Then they do their own stories. At the end I encourage the children to read out what they've written.

Details

Number of children	Any number up to class size (approx 30)
Age range	Years 3-6
Session length	+ Approx 1 hour but obviously writing can continue after I have finished my session.
Materials required	+ sheets of A2 (approx) white paper (e.g. flip chart paper). + easel or flip chart. + lined paper/exercise books for the children to write their stories on.