I have included a video of the story 'The paper dolls' and also a printable version of the story above.
Activities:
Talk about the story
Talk about the different dolls and the names for them, what might each of them be like?
Can you spot the butterfly slide on every page?
Talk about the boy cutting the dolls up. Why might another child (boy or girl) do something like that?
Talk about how the little girl might have felt at different points in the story
Share memories; what special things (toys, places, or people) do children remember or which nice things would they like to remember when they grow up? Talk about your own childhood memories. Did an adult teach you to make something special?
Make paper dolls
Help your child make a chain of paper dolls. Your child could then decorate and name them, making sure each one is special and different. Use the template below to help you if needed.
Make your own story
Children could make up a story with their own paper dolls – perhaps their dolls will be in danger from a scary animal attack. You could play the story together using a toy or improvised glove puppet (oven glove perhaps?!) for the imminent danger to the dolls.
Make a memory box
Using a shoe box children can put in a few special things, objects, photographs and drawings. They could decorate the box to make it look special with wrapping paper and label it ‘my memory box’. Encourage your child to tell another member of the family about their memory box and what is inside. This would be an opportunity for older family members to share memories with your child too.
