Start with who they are now
Open with a picture of the child today: what they love, how they play, who they look for when they arrive. Families read the first paragraph most closely.
Educator guide · Term 4
A year of a child's learning, on one page a family will keep.
Families keep the end of year summary. It is often the one piece of documentation that ends up in a memory box. It is also written in the busiest weeks of the year, usually from memory. This guide gives a simple structure, example paragraphs for Australia and Aotearoa, and a way to write it from the evidence you already have rather than from scratch.
Start with what actually happened: one action, quote, attempt, change, or question. A polished observation is never required.
StoryLoop drafts and checks. The educator reviews, edits, decides what is true, and chooses whether anything is shared.
Reviewed 13 October 2026 · Written by Leo, who builds StoryLoop, in Ōtautahi Christchurch
What StoryLoop does with a note
A rough note in, a learning story out.
A real note an educator typed, and the start of the draft StoryLoop wrote from it, unedited, with the Te Whāriki links, learning and next steps to follow.
Aroha tried to put her shoes on before going outside. Velcro kept folding over. Asked 'help me' then pushed my hand away and did the second one herself. Stood up and stomped both feet.
Putting on her own shoes
Before going outside, Aroha tried to put her shoes on by herself. The Velcro kept folding over, making the job trickier. Aroha asked, "help me", letting us know clearly that she needed support.
When help was offered, Aroha pushed the adult hand away and did the second shoe herself. Once both shoes were on, she stood up and stomped both feet. This looked like Aroha checking that her shoes were on and feeling the result with her whole body.
Now try it with your own note. No signup.
Type what you saw today. StoryLoop writes the draft here, with Te Whāriki or EYLF V2.0 links, and shows you exactly what it is built on.
No signup for your first try. Use a first name or initial only.
Your draft appears here, with curriculum links that only claim what your note shows, usually in under a minute.
Tip: what the child did, one thing they said, and what happened next. Three lines is plenty.
Want to keep it? Start free: 3 stories a month, no card. You check every word before anything is shared.
Show change with two moments
One moment from early in the year and one from now says more about growth than any list of skills. Use your own dated stories and the child's actual words.
End with what is next
Close with where this child is heading and one or two simple ways the family, or the next teacher, can support it.
A structure that works
Who they are now: two or three sentences a family will recognise straight away.
How they have grown: one early moment and one recent moment, side by side, with the child's own words.
What they are learning: two or three areas, each linked to your framework with the evidence that shows it.
What is next: where they are heading, and one simple way to support it at home or at school.
Example paragraph, Australia (EYLF V2.0)
Written for an imagined child to show the shape: "In February, Theo watched the block corner from the doorway for most of the morning. This term he is usually the one deciding what the group will build, and last week he told Ava, 'You do the roof, I'll do the walls.' He has grown into a confident, involved learner who plans, tests and explains his ideas (Outcome 4), and he is learning to share a plan with others (Outcome 2). Next year, Theo will enjoy building with friends and being given a job in a group."
Example paragraph, Aotearoa (Te Whāriki)
Again for an imagined child: "When Hana started with us she held Mum's hand at the gate every morning. Now she runs to find Kiri and they head straight for the garden, where Hana checks on the beans she planted. 'They got bigger, look!' she told us last week. Hana's sense of belonging (Mana whenua) and her curiosity about living things (Mana aotūroa) have grown together this year. At home you might like to grow something small together and talk about how it changes."
Phrases that say nothing
"Has had a wonderful year." "Is a pleasure to have in the room." "Enjoys all areas of the curriculum." Every family receives these lines. Replace each one with a moment only this child could have had.
Getting them done in Term 4
Do not start from a blank page. Start from what you already have: this year's stories for the child, their recorded words, and what the family has told you. Pick the two moments first, then write around them. A summary built that way takes about fifteen minutes, not an evening, and it is truer.
Official references
These sources inform this guide. StoryLoop is independent and does not claim endorsement.
FAQ
Straight answers for educators.
Is an end of year summary required in Australia?+
Not as a separate document by that name. ACECQA's guidance for element 1.3.3 says assessors may look for how families are informed about their child's progress, such as point-in-time progress summaries, and for transition statements for children starting school. Many services write an end of year summary as part of meeting that.
What about Aotearoa New Zealand?+
Te Whāriki does not set a form for end of year reports. Many services share a portfolio, or a summary learning story, with whānau at the end of the year or when a child moves rooms or starts school. Write it so whānau can read it easily and respond.
How long should an end of year summary be?+
One page. Three to five short paragraphs a family can read in two minutes. Longer is not more professional, and a family is more likely to read every word of something short.
Can I use AI to write end of year summaries?+
Do not paste a child's details into a public chatbot; both the Australian and New Zealand privacy regulators advise against it. Write the summary yourself from your own documentation. If your stories are in StoryLoop, each child's history puts a year of notes, quotes and family comments in one place to write from.
Does StoryLoop replace educator thinking?+
No. StoryLoop supports drafting and structure, while educators remain responsible for observation, interpretation, reflection, final editing, and sign-off.
Can I edit the generated stories?+
Yes. Stories are editable after generation and saved in history, so educators can add context, adjust wording, copy, export, or regenerate from the original observation.
Does it create generic AI stories?+
StoryLoop is designed to avoid generic, poetic AI wording. It asks for real observations, keeps claims evidence-based, and links curriculum only when the observation supports it.
How many stories are free?+
The free plan includes 3 learning stories per month. Upgrade prompts are dismissible, and existing history remains available even if the free limit is reached.