Story Grammar Activities to Improve Narrative Skills in Speech

October 3, 2024

You know how much I love blending fun and learning in speech therapy, right? Well, incorporating themed story grammar in speech therapy is a game-changer when it comes to keeping students engaged while helping them build those essential narrative skills. Whether it’s the excitement of back-to-school, a summer adventure, or even a festive holiday theme, stories are where the magic happens. This themed story grammar resource is designed to give your students a clear understanding of key story elements like character, setting, problem, and solution—all while keeping them actively involved and loving every minute of it.

Narrative skills aren’t just important for academics; they help kids communicate better in their day-to-day lives. Research has shown that working on storytelling in speech therapy can make a huge difference in both expressive and receptive language skills. That means your students will be better at understanding what they hear and organizing their thoughts when they speak. What I love most about this resource is how flexible it is—you can use it year-round, whether you’re diving into a cozy winter theme or gearing up for a spring celebration. You can adjust it to fit the season, but the core structure stays the same, giving you a consistent way to teach story elements.

Let’s dive into how to make the most of this resource in your speech therapy sessions, plus I’ve added some tips and a little bit of research that will show you just how powerful narrative work can be!

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Themed Story Grammar Resources

Introduce Story Elements Using Interactive Books Kick things off by explaining the core story grammar elements—character, setting, problem, feelings, plan, actions, and solution. The interactive books that come with this resource are fantastic for making these abstract ideas easy to understand. As you read the story, point out key elements like the main character or the problem, saying something like, “The main character here is Sarah,” or “The problem is that Sarah lost her backpack.”
Engage Students with Reflective Questions Keep your students involved by asking them reflective questions as you go along. You could say, “Who do you think the character is?” or “What do you think the problem might be?” Using videos, images, or familiar examples from their favorite shows makes it even more fun and helps them grasp these story elements quicker.
Let Students Choose a Story Allowing your students to pick which story excites them the most keeps motivation high. Once the story is selected, use the picture cards and story element icons to visually map out the narrative. This helps with comprehension and sequencing—two huge skills for successful storytelling!
Identify Story Elements with Icons As you go through the story, pause after major events and ask your students to identify key story elements like the problem or solution. The story element icons included in this resource make it easy for them to visually connect these ideas, making abstract concepts like “problem” and “solution” more concrete.
Retell the Story Using Visual Aids Once you’ve gone through the story, encourage your students to retell it in their own words using the picture cards and icons. Ask questions like, “What happened next?” If they need some help, don’t hesitate to model the retelling. As they get better, you can gradually offer less support to build their confidence.
Challenge Them with Self-Generated Stories When your students are comfortable retelling the stories you’ve read together, it’s time for the next level—creating their own stories! Using the prompts in this resource, guide them through structuring their personal stories with the same elements. For example, if the prompt asks, “Tell me about a time you helped someone,” help them figure out the character, problem, and solution in their real-life narrative.

Tips for Using Story Grammar in Speech Therapy

Use Multi-Modal Approaches: Combine verbal, visual, and tactile elements like story cards, videos, and icons. Research has shown that multi-modal teaching boosts understanding, especially for students with language delays.
Scaffold Support: Don’t be afraid to offer lots of support at the beginning by modeling and prompting. Over time, you’ll start to back off as your students get more confident in retelling and generating their own stories.
Integrate Tier 2 Vocabulary: Themed stories are a great way to introduce new vocabulary. Sprinkle in some Tier 2 words like “assist” or “proud” and give simple explanations. Reinforce understanding by asking your students to use these words in sentences.
Use Comprehension Questions: The comprehension questions included in this resource help students think critically about the story. Encourage them to look back at the pictures and story elements to answer the questions—it’s a great way to deepen their understanding!

Therapy Ideas for Narrative Skills (No New Resources Needed!)

While themed story grammar in speech therapy is amazing for keeping therapy sessions fresh, you don’t always need to pull out something new to work on narrative skills. Here are a few tried-and-true ideas that you can use with what you already have:

Story Retell with Familiar Books: Grab any book in your library and work through it using the same story elements—character, setting, problem, etc. After reading, have your students retell the story in their own words. To simplify, you can use a visual like drawing boxes on a whiteboard for each element and fill it in together.
Personal Narratives: One of my favorite ways to build narrative skills is by having students tell stories from their own lives. You can ask prompts like, “Tell me about a time you felt really happy” or “Tell me about a time you had a problem and solved it.” You don’t need any extra materials, just good conversations!
Using Toys for Storytelling: If you have some basic toys—like action figures, animals, or even toy cars—create a story together. Have your students decide on the characters and setting, then work through a simple story by acting it out. For example, “This bear is the character, and the problem is he can’t find his way home.” It’s a fun and interactive way to work on narrative structure.
Make Up Stories About Pictures: Use any picture you have—whether it’s from a magazine, a coloring book, or even a random photo on your phone. Ask your students to make up a story about what’s happening in the picture. Guide them by asking questions like, “Who is this?” and “What problem are they trying to solve?”
Classroom Scenarios: Create stories based on things happening in the classroom or playground. This is especially great for social narrative skills. For example, “What would happen if your friend lost their lunchbox? How could you help?”

These activities are simple, require no new materials, and can be a quick go-to for building narrative skills without having to plan anything new!

Why Story Grammar Work Matters in Speech Therapy

Narrative skills are a big deal! Research shows that improving these skills can have a massive impact on both academic success and everyday communication. Westby and Culatta (2016) found that narrative-based interventions help kids with language delays improve their ability to structure and tell stories, which in turn boosts their overall language skills. Justice and Kaderavek (2004) also found that storytelling helps kids with literacy and comprehension, so working on these elements can make a real difference in the classroom and beyond.

By using this resource, you’re not only giving your students a fun way to engage with stories but also helping them develop key skills that will benefit them for years to come. Plus, with themed versions for every season and holiday, you’ll keep things fresh and exciting all year long!

I need some resources!

If you’re looking for more ways incorporate themed story grammar in speech therapy, I’ve got some fantastic resources that fit perfectly with this approach! Here’s what you can explore:

Themed Story Grammar Kits: These kits offer engaging materials for every season, helping you teach story elements in a fun and interactive way.
Email Series: Sign up to receive a 8 weeks of story grammar lessons, to your inbox, for free! Sign up in the blog post below!
Blog Post: Dive deeper into strategies for implementing story grammar in your therapy sessions with my detailed post, packed with actionable ideas.

References:

Westby, C., & Culatta, B. (2016). Narrative-Based Language Intervention. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Justice, L. M., & Kaderavek, J. N. (2004). Scaffolding Emergent Literacy: A Child-Centered Perspective for Supporting Young Children’s Literacy Development. Allyn & Bacon.