Creative Futures
The power of storytelling
Imagine being the superhero in your own adventure story and getting to share your creativity with your family and friends. This is the aim of My Sound Stories – a project to create a fun digital resource for deaf or hearing impaired children, or those with speech, language and communication needs.
In this project children aged 3 to 7, will work with a parent to create their own special story using illustrations, different sounds, music and voices. Their personalised ‘Sound Story’ can then be downloaded and treasured forever. Storytelling is one of the ways children make sense of the world and My Sound Stories will help build the children’s confidence in their abilities and encourage their speech, language and communication development.
- 1 in 1,000 children are deaf at the age of 3 and around 40% of deaf children have additional learning or special educational needs.
- Creative Futures has worked extensively in the early years and special educational needs sector, delivering projects with deaf children.
- During Creative Future’s ‘Music for Change’ early years programme, children improved above expected levels by more than 3 months in ‘listening and attention’, and 4 months in ‘speaking’.
Getting your voice out there
We have given a grant of £54,300 to fund this unique project from concept to testing to full launch, plus an evaluation. Creative Futures is developing the programme with one of its artists, who is both a specialist music leader with deaf children and a qualified NHS speech and language therapist. Once established, this amazing resource will be available to use in homes by families, and in schools by teachers, to support children’s learning.
“We know that stories and storytelling play a vital part in children’s creative play and personal development. This project provides deaf children and those with hearing impairments with the opportunity to create imaginative worlds to share
with their families and friends.”
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