A lively, interactive storytelling and creative writing workshop for Years 4–6
Following the success of last year's storytelling workshops, I've devised something new — and very lively!
In How to Write Like a Wild Animal, children are invited to become a wild animal, see the world through its eyes and discover how writers turn research, imagination and observation into stories.
We'll make noises. We'll move. We'll imagine. We'll discover some genuinely surprising secrets about the natural world — and then use them to create characters and stories.
The children will choose an animal, explore its world through its senses, discover what it eats, fears and needs, and then face a storytelling challenge: what happens next?
Along the way, they'll discover one of the most important tricks a writer can learn:
You don't just write about a character. You have to get inside its world.
What will children gain?
- Reading: discovering how stories allow us to enter unfamiliar worlds, perspectives and experiences.
- Writing: developing characters through setting, senses, wants, fears and problems.
- Vocabulary: finding precise language to describe movement, environment and sensory experience.
- Creative thinking: turning facts and observations into imaginative possibilities.
- Speaking and listening: contributing ideas, building a story together and responding to others.
- Confidence: there are no wrong answers when we're imagining what it might be like to be a wild animal!
Most importantly, it's fun. Children are encouraged to get involved, make some noise and use their imaginations — while discovering that the things they do naturally during the workshop are actually the building blocks of good storytelling.
The session finishes with a selection of wild-animal fiction recommendations, giving children plenty of inspiration for where to disappear next.
Perfect for
Years 4–6 | Primary schools | Literacy & creative writing | Book weeks | Author visits | Nature/wildlife themes
Lively. Imaginative. Educational. And just a little bit wild.