Invitation to Play: Dear Zoo Story Basket

Story baskets are a great way to encourage imaginative play while practicing early literacy skills.  Plays is one of the five early literacy practices that can help teach and encourage narrative skills, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, print motivation, and print awareness.  Reading, writing, singing, and talking are the other four important early literacy practices.  Your child can experience independent play and discovery if they are investigating this story basket on their own, or you can expand their exposure by reading and talking with them during one-on-one time with the tray.  I recommend a little of both independent play and one-on-one with parent or caregiver.

Story baskets, or story trays, are easy to put together with things you have around the house.  Little animal figures are a staple in our house--we use them for so many learning and play activities!  If you don't have them, you can use stuffed animals, or hand-drawn and colored pictures.  Depending on the story that you choose, you may find appropriate items in the kitchen, dress-up bin, or craft box.

The book Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is been a long-time favorite in our family, so it made the perfect choice for this week's story basket.

Click the image above for a video of how I put together our tray. 

Here is what I included in this week's story basket:

-Safari hat 
-Safari LTD Jungle Friends TOOB  
-Safari LTD Pets TOOB
-Safari LTD Reptiles TOOB
-Brown decoupage boxes
-Dear Zoo Board Book
-Magnetic letters are from the dollar spot at Target.