Fun ideas for World Storytelling Day

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. This year, it’s taking place on Saturday 20th March.

From broadening children’s vocabulary and boosting their communication skills, to modelling good reading behaviours and teaching them story structures for writing, storytelling is not just lots of fun, it also has a hugely positive impact on children’s learning. Here are a few ideas to celebrate storytelling in your classroom, as well resources to share with parents to encourage them to tell stories at home. 

Story Maps from Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales

Story Maps are a great tool to help children structure their ideas, stimulate their imaginations – and have lots of fun! Retelling stories they know, with prompts to help them remember the main points, makes for an easier starting point, while still allowing them the excitement of creating something themselves. They’ll build their communication skills and their confidence at the same time. 

Use these colourful Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales Story Maps to help children retell well-loved stories from around the world in their own words. 

Download Story Maps >

You’ll need to log in to Oxford Owl to access the Story Maps, but they’re free to access, plus easy to print out and send home. 

Storytelling Videos

Looking for more stories to share? Here’s a selection, from timeless favourites to brand-new releases. Some of them are performed by professional storytellers, while others are read by the authors themselves. Watch them in the classroom or share links with parents so that they can watch with their children at home.

Log in to Oxford Owl to access these stories told by professional storytellers for free:
Biff, Chip and Kipper stories on Oxford Owl >
Traditional Tales on Oxford Owl >

Share these stories with parents:
Author storytime: Julia Donaldson reads Songbirds phonics >
Illustrator storytime: Korky Paul reads Winnie the Witch >
The Perfect Fit storytime >
More author and illustrator storytime videos >

Read Write Inc. Storytime and Poetry Time

Develop your children’s love of stories and poems with these interactive files that include everything you need for an inspiring storytime session. For each story and poem, you’ll find beautiful illustrations, teaching notes and a printable version of the text for children to take home and enjoy with their parents. What’s more, Poetry Time includes videos from performers to show you and your class ways to perform the poems that will really bring them to life. 

Find out more about Storytime and Poetry Time resources >

You’ll need to log in to your Read Write Inc. Phonics subscription on Oxford Owl to access the resources. 


We’d love to see what you get up to for World Storytelling Day! Share your stories with us on Facebook and Twitter using #WorldStorytellingDay.