Storyboarding
Comfort must be given to the Bear Sister. She is trapped by goblin vines and her heart is on the outside of her body! Surely this kindness will be the very thing that will keep her out of the Goblin King’s clutches.
Pretend I am . . .
This phrase is given voice dozens of time as children play. Sometimes (maybe even a lot of times) the speaker gets to yelling it if there is no confirmation from others that there is buy-in, “Yes, yes, you’re definitely who you say you are.” I’ve written about this before. This is not what this blog post is about — not completely . . .
I am interested in exploring and expanding methods in which this “Pretend I am . . .” can be expressed. It doesn’t just have to be spoken (and then heard). It can of course be expressed through body language and through props (clothing and support items that speak to the child’s purpose). As children grow and their imaginary vocabulary and story become more complex, the “Pretend I am . . . “ is more nuanced. Keeping up with it is the best part of my day! But, if you work with children, you already know that these familiar methods may not be accessible to all.
I am interested in play patterns and in story. I am especially interested in helping children with alternatively-developing social-emotional language skills access play with peers.
Over the summer, I researched children’s mark-making and developmental drawing patterns. We are implementing this practice now in children’s journaling and in scaffolding story and peer connections during dramatic play.
It has been incredibly gratifying to see children gaining confidence in play with peers AND expanding their mark-making vocabulary!
Story mapping — similar to storyboarding — follows character and action though setting.
Children engage and express ideas using a visual system or vocabulary (Kellogg, 1969). This vocabulary increases line by line, shape and shading, becoming more complex with practice and time. Using this idea — stated here in its barest form — we changed the way we think about and support children’s mark-making. We provide and cultivate a visual vocabulary much in the same way we already do with expressive and receptive language.
I found that a really good way to put this into practice was to begin sketching the children’s play arcs like storyboarding. I was thinking only in terms of shaping an opportunity for mark-making, but little did I know that this simple practice would also pave the way for children to more easily insert themselves into the context of play!
Initially, I sketched their story, but quickly this task was taken over by the children. Drawing on top of my story map or storyboard became both necessary and gratifying. The children know that their voices are so much more compelling than my adult-voice.
This practice of shared context established a mutual respect and acknowledgment while it increased the “grammar” and “sentence structure” of mark-making. The children now have so many different ways to share their ideas. Here the storyboard author explains the choices she made to express her ideas.
When there is an opportunity to increase a child’s social-emotional connection to self and others at the same time as other developmental growth it is a win/win/win. And all you need is a piece of paper!
The paper scroll tells the whole story, but the children have so much to say that they will also attach smaller drawings to the edges of the easel and the scroll itself. There is so much to share and to discuss. The “Pretend I am . . .” is accessible for everyone.
At the end of the school year, we will have a continuous scroll of paper that follows the children’s play. It tells the story of all their play and its true value is not necessarily in the length of the scroll, the intensity of line, or with colors chosen — it is in the connective threads that made play available for all.