Helen Evans Storyteller

www.helenevans-storyteller.com

Helen Evans Storyteller

Feltboards

A feltboard acts like the page of a book.  Pieces are put on or taken off the board as the story progresses.  This method is very effective when telling a story to a group, as children have something to focus on.  The stories are easy to prepare if you have access to different colours of felt, scissors, glue, and/or needle and thread.

Many toy shops sell small boards and felt pieces that are suitable for individual children to use.  These are very popular with children but for a group, the board should be close to 74cms x15cms ( 28 ins. x 21ins.), and the story pieces need to be big enough to be seen at a distance.

Proportion is also important.  A cow should be bigger than a dog if they are in the same story.  A number of colours are suitable for the felt covering of the board e.g., fawn, green or pale blue.

I like to use realistic colours for people and any animals that will appear in the story to avoid confusing young children. I make people of different skin colours to reflect our cultural diversity.

Not all stories are suitable to adapt for a feltboard.  It is best for stories where there are not too many pieces and where they are not too fiddly or intricate.  Sometimes I draw my pictures on paper, colour them and stick felt on the back so that they will stay on the board.

I use feltboard stories successfully with toddlers, and three year olds, as well as older pre-schoolers.

Here is a feltboard story about a baby and some animals