Pick one moment
Grace spent forty minutes on the marble run. Her story is about one problem: the marble kept falling off at the join, and what she did about it.
Examples · 3 to 5 years
Seven preschool learning stories, written from real notes.
Three and four year olds give you more to write about than any other age: plans, rules, jokes, arguments, words. The skill is choosing the moment that shows their thinking and writing about that, not the whole morning. These are seven real notes and the drafts StoryLoop wrote from them, quoted exactly, with what makes each one strong.
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.
Keep their words exact
Tui's "password please" and Grace's "not too fast or it flies off" carry their stories. Quote children exactly as they spoke, including the mistakes.
Link only what you saw
Each story names one or two links to Te Whāriki or the EYLF and says what in the moment shows them. A link with no evidence beside it is decoration.
Seven stories, three to five year olds
For each one: the educator's note, how StoryLoop's draft opens, its curriculum link and what makes the story strong. Every quote is exactly as the draft has it.
Nikau, 3 to 4 years: leading the waiata actions (Te Whāriki)
The note: Mat time waiata, Nikau stood at the front and did the actions for Tūtira mai ngā iwi with Whaea Sue. Sang the first line loud then went quiet and just did actions. Clapped at the end.
How the story opens: At mat time, Nikau stood at the front with Whaea Sue for Tūtira mai ngā iwi. He joined in by singing the first line loudly, then became quieter while he kept doing the actions. At the end of the waiata, Nikau clapped.
The Te Whāriki link: This links with Mana reo | Communication, as Nikau used singing, movement, and actions to express himself during a familiar waiata.
What makes it strong: It describes participation honestly. Nikau sang the first line loudly, then carried on with the actions, and the draft says exactly that rather than claiming he led the whole waiata.
Anika, 3 to 4 years: sharing rafi with us (Te Whāriki)
The note: Anika brought in a photo of her new baby brother. Showed everyone at kai time. Said his name is Rafi. Drew him in her book.
How the story opens: Anika brought in a photo of her new baby brother and shared it with us at kai time. She showed everyone the photo and told us his name, Rafi. Later, Anika drew Rafi in her book.
The Te Whāriki link: This links with Mana whenua | Belonging, as Anika was able to bring part of her whānau life into the centre and have it recognised here.
What makes it strong: A family moment handled warmly. The story is about Anika, her identity and her place in the group, not about the new baby.
Grace, 4 to 5 years: making the marble go all the way (EYLF V2.0)
The note: Grace spent nearly 40 minutes on the marble run this morning. She started with two ramps and a funnel, but the marble kept falling off at the join. She tried taping it, which did not work, then moved the second ramp lower so it sat under the first. When it worked she called out "Look, it goes all the way now!" Then she added a third ramp and a cup at the bottom to catch it. Harvey came over and wanted to add his car. Grace showed him where to put it at the top and said "not too fast or it flies off". They took turns for the rest of the session.
How the story opens: Grace worked with the marble run for nearly 40 minutes this morning. She began with two ramps and a funnel, but the marble kept falling off where the pieces joined. Grace tried using tape to hold the join, and when that did not solve the problem, she changed the position of the second ramp so it sat lower and underneath the first ramp.
The EYLF V2.0 link: EYLF Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners. Grace tested, adjusted and improved her marble run through play. She kept working with the problem and used what she noticed to make a new plan.
What makes it strong: A long note turned into a clear story of problem solving: what failed, what Grace changed, what worked, and then teaching a friend.
Tui, 4 to 5 years: the hut door password (Te Whāriki)
The note: Tui, Rawiri and Sam built a hut out of the crates and a sheet. Tui was in charge of the door. Said 'password please' to anyone who came. Sam said banana and she let him in.
How the story opens: Tui, Rawiri and Sam built a hut using crates and a sheet. In the play, Tui took on the job of looking after the door. When someone came to the hut, Tui asked, "password please".
The Te Whāriki link: This links with Mana reo | Communication, as Tui used words to set up and continue the pretend play. The phrase "password please" gave the game a clear structure and invited others to respond.
What makes it strong: Three children, one story. It stays focused on Tui's language and role in the play without losing Rawiri and Sam.
Sophie, 4 to 5 years: writing her name and noticing words (EYLF V2.0)
The note: Sophie wrote her name on her drawing, S backwards, rest ok. Then copied KAI off the lunch box sign. Asked me what it spells.
How the story opens: Sophie wrote her name on her drawing today. She formed the S backwards, and the rest of the letters in her name were in the right order. This showed us that Sophie is thinking carefully about the letters that belong to her name and is beginning to notice how each letter is formed.
The EYLF V2.0 link: EYLF Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators. Sophie used drawing, name writing, copied print, and a question to connect marks and letters with meaning.
What makes it strong: Proof that three lines is enough. The draft does not inflate the moment; it notices early literacy where it actually happened.
Jack, 4 to 5 years: sorting and making ten (EYLF V2.0)
The note: Jack sorted the bear counters by colour into the cups. Then lined up the red ones and counted 8. Put 2 blue ones on the end and said 'now it's ten'.
How the story opens: Jack sorted the bear counters by colour into the cups. After sorting, he lined up the red bears and counted them. Jack counted 8 red bears, then added 2 blue bears to the end of the line and said, “now it's ten”.
The EYLF V2.0 link: EYLF Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners. Jack sorted, counted, organised and solved a number problem using the bear counters.
What makes it strong: Real early maths, quoted exactly: sorting by colour, counting eight, adding two to make ten.
Liam, 4 to 5 years: drawing mum sleeping (EYLF V2.0)
The note: Liam quiet at drop off, dad said mum is in hospital. Liam spent the morning at the drawing table, drew a house with 4 people and a bed. Told me 'that's mum sleeping'. Later joined the ball game with Oliver.
How the story opens: At drop off, Liam was quiet. His dad shared that Mum is in hospital. During the morning, Liam stayed close to the drawing table and drew a house with four people and a bed. When he talked about his drawing, Liam said, "that's mum sleeping".
The EYLF V2.0 link: EYLF Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity. Liam brought his family experience into his drawing and shared what the picture meant to him.
What makes it strong: How to write about a hard week. It shares only what the reader needs to understand Liam's morning and keeps the focus on how he coped.
FAQ
Straight answers for educators.
How long should a learning story for a four year old be?+
Long enough to tell one moment well. The drafts below run to roughly 280 to 440 words including the learning, links and next steps. Families read the first paragraph most closely, so make that the moment itself.
Should I write about a group of children in one story?+
You can, as the hut door password story shows, as long as the story stays focused and each child's family would be comfortable reading it. Many services write a group story and then a short individual note for each child's own portfolio.
How do I write about something difficult happening at home?+
Share only what the reader needs to understand the child's day, keep the focus on how the child coped and what helped, and check with the family before anything sensitive goes into a story they or others will read.
Are these real learning stories?+
They are real notes and the drafts StoryLoop wrote from them in its 23 September 2026 evaluation run, shown without edits. The full drafts are on the examples page.
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.