What is a Sensory Story?

Pretty much what it says on the tin.

It is a story that you tell through Sensory Experiences for a very specific audience, who are often hard to reach due to additional needs.

Sensory Stories attempt to bring the experience and atmosphere of the world of story to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities on their terms.

Sensory Stories do this by presenting a range of experiences to stimulate the senses and bring the folktale, fairy tale, myth or legend to life for the audience member.

What does this look like?

A Sensory Story may involve music, singing, instruments or other sound effects.

It may use different textures to bring an element alive (for example the leaves from the trees in the woods, or bubbles for underwater).

It may involve strong smells and/ or tastes (like honey for bees, or the smell of the beach).

It may stimulate the visual with bright colours or patterns.

Each story is different and each audience member will have different needs, so one telling of a story  is rarely ever the same as the next. 

I hope that gives you an idea of what a Sensory Story is, next time in Adventures in Sensory Storytelling I'll be blogging on Who are Sensory Stories for.

Vicky McFarland creates audio stories for children around the world and sensory stories for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties. You can find out more about her work at TaleTime.co.uk, follow her on Facebook or sign up for her newsletter.