ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on several children, aged between 3 and 5 years, in a voluntary early childhood centre in Edinburgh. Underpinned by Froebelian principles, it follows the children's stories based on their own experiences and perspectives. Children explore the world through play, language and experiences. The chapter reflects on play and its importance to the development of characters in stories as well as considering the use of props and symbolism in storytelling. A child's comment and a practitioner's observation provided the starting point of our storytelling journey. A Froebelian approach begins with skilled observation in order to understand, and thereby encourage, positive aspects of the child's development. The children have embraced the stories from their favourite books, and many asked for boats and pirates in the water tray. Play has developed from the initial floating and sinking exploration into tales of treasure and pirate adventures.
