National Storytelling Week

National Storytelling Week runs from 31st January-8th February, and as part of the National Year of Reading, the National Literacy Trust have chosen the theme of ‘Soundtrack your Story’ with a focus on exploring stories through sound, lyrics and rhythm.

National Storytelling Week 2026 is a celebration of oral storytelling, reading and writing for pleasure. At a time when young people’s writing and reading enjoyment levels are at their lowest, National Storytelling Week has never been more important.

- National Literacy Trust

Why Storytelling Matters in the Classroom

Storytelling has been shown by studies to aid learning in children for history, increase interest in science and have a positive effect on memory. When the students do the storytelling, it can encourage higher-level thinking skills, such as analysis and synthesis, as well as skills in oral composition. The Society for Storytelling has a range of resources on their website including fact sheets on hosting a storytelling week as well as a list of storytellers that are available to come into schools during the week.

Storytelling historically was a way to entertain or recount stories across different communities but with the advancement in technology, books became commonplace and nowadays storytelling itself suffers. National Storytelling Week is about reviving the love for storytelling and using emotion to convey a story.

Classroom Ideas for National Storytelling Week

National Literacy Trust has a range of resources on their website for schools to use during National Storytelling Week, as well as live, interactive workshops.

KS1 National Storytelling Week Activities

• Bring stories to life with sound: Add sound effects to a familiar story using voices, instruments or everyday classroom objects.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use 2Create A Story to create an animated story with sound effects and music.
• How does sound change a story? Retell a short story using different music to explore emotion and tone.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use music-making tool 2Sequence to compose a piece of music for a story.
• Story sound maps: Create a simple story timeline and add drawings or symbols for the sounds heard at each point.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use the Storyboard Template and drag-and-drop sound icons in to add sounds for each part of the story.

Key Stage 2 National Storytelling Week Activities

• Create a story soundtrack: Pupils write an original story or scene, then design a soundtrack to match key moments.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use 2Create A Story to create an animated story with sound. Children could also use Tracklab to compose a soundtrack for their story.
• Reimagine a book scene: Choose a scene from a class text and explore how sound could build tension, excitement or calm.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use 2Create A Story to write out the story, and add different sounds using Tracklab to incite different emotions.
• Podcast-style storytelling: Record spoken stories with sound effects, focusing on expression, pacing and clarity.
  Purple Mash Resource: Use 2Cast to record a spoken story as a podcast, adding sound effects and background music.

All these tools and more are included with a Purple Mash subscription. If you’re not currently a subscriber, you can try Purple Mash free for 14 days.

Inspire Storytelling with Purple Mash Library

All Purple Mash users now have access to Purple Mash Library at no extra cost. The Library contains over 250 eBooks, with students having access both in school and at home. It’s a great resource for National Storytelling Week and the National Year of Reading.

Why not use the library to:

• Read and retell a story?
• Listen to one of the audio-narrated stories, and create a story sound map?
• Practise reading dialogue aloud?
• Use one of the stories as inspiration for pupils to create their own sequels, alternative endings or a spin-off?

There is no greater agony that bearing an untold story inside you.

- Maya Angelou