Stories at Play

Nicolette Nordin Heavey has been delighting young audiences with her interactive Stories at Play program for over 15 years. Characters come alive as the audience helps to define their traits, attitudes, and words. Nicolette guides the class to re-create, often changing, the narrative and act out scenes from fairytales, fables and folktales.

Stories at Play uses highly interactive, performed storytelling to encourage students with their early learning skills from language, to social emotional, to motor skills. The “play” revolves around sensory interaction with various parts of the narrative. This exploration deepens their connection to the story and encourages problem-solving and creativity. Sensory play helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will demonstrate understanding of story patterns and rhythms (sequencing & cause and effect) through listening, interacting as part of the telling, role-playing and re-enacting the story.
• Students will demonstrate their social emotional connection to the stories through sensory exploration (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) of elements in the story as well as gross and fine motor skills activities.
• Students will enhance their ability to work cooperatively with large and small group and individual movement, rhythm and role-playing activities

Program available in person, or live online.