Once Upon a Story Box

In parenting, there's not a lot that experts will agree on. Is sleep training a gift or a nightmare? Is fussy eating genetic or a phase? And is screentime a helpful tool or something that’s irrevocably eroding our children’s attention spans?

But across the spectrum of parenting styles, all agree on one thing: books and stories are transformational.

Story Box is a project from Inter-Action supporting families with children aged 0–4 across Milton Keynes to explore stories, reading, and imaginative play through hands‑on, artist‑led activities. The programme runs in Family Centres located in our city’s areas of high deprivation. With support from MK Community Foundation, these sessions are designed to reach families who might otherwise miss out on early creative opportunities.

The sessions aren’t library-quiet; they’re lively, messy, musical and designed to spark curiosity in our youngest neighbours.

The project is centred around three locally hand-crafted wooden Story Boxes, each one a doorway into a different world.

Creative, Story‑Led Activities

The woodland‑themed box, inspired by Percy the Park Keeper, has encouraged families to take part in nature‑based storytelling, craft activities such as making pinecone hedgehogs, and outdoor exploration. 

The musical‑themed box, containing real instruments, encourages rhythm, sound and movement, turning stories into songs.

The third box—designed to look like a towering stack of books with a travel-themed interior—travels between centres, opening up new sessions and stories wherever it lands.

Since the autumn, families at Moorlands (Beanhill) and Hedgerows (Netherfield), Rainbow (Bradville) and The Rowans (Fullers Slade) Family Centres have taken part in weekly sessions blending sensory play, craft-based storytelling and live story sharing from professional artists. 

A Celebration of Stories

A celebration event gave families the chance to explore all three Story Boxes in one extended session at Hedgerows. Activities spanned craft, outdoor play and sensory storytelling, including: making “Gruffalo crumble”, creating musical instruments, crafting pinecone hedgehogs, exploring a forest‑school area, painting, messy play, and themed role play. The session rounded off with a shared picnic, encouraging a sense of community among the parents and children who attended. 

Outcomes for Children and Families

Parents and carers said that the sessions offered meaningful, quality time with their children and introduced new, accessible ways to make reading and storytelling part of everyday life. 

100% rated their overall experience as “Excellent” or “Good” 
90% said their child was “Very engaged”.
95% were inspired to spend more time playing, reading, or telling stories.
85% reported improved confidence or mood in their child.
100% felt more connected to other families in their community

A parent said they enjoyed “Spending quality time exploring new activities with my daughter”, another noted the "friendly staff and great interactions and amazing resources”, and another appreciated “Learning to use normal/natural resources to make reading more fun.”

Families also said that the sessions helped reduce practical barriers such as cost, travel and access to resources. Hosting activities in local Family Centres ensured the project met families where they already were. 

Fresh Ideas for Family Centres

Family Centre staff described leaving sessions with new confidence and fresh ideas for creative early-years delivery, particularly around collaborative and intergenerational activities linked to the Story Box themes.

Project artists also reflected on the value of bringing storytelling into different environments, especially outdoor spaces, where kids’ imaginations can fly. 

Chapter Two 

Building on the success of the first phase, MK Community Foundation is so pleased to help fund Story Box Chapter 2, which will expand into a creative early years and intergenerational programme.

Centred around families with preschool-aged children, the extended programme will also collaborate with care homes, libraries, community hubs and special schools. The project will bring generations together through creativity, music, and play; using stories to close the distance between people, whether they are three or ninety-three.

Many of the families the next-phase project aims to reach are navigating multiple pressures, including financial hardship, poor health, insecure housing, and social isolation. When daily life feels uncertain, finding time for playful, language-rich interaction can become difficult. At the same time, local Family Centres report growing numbers of children starting school with delayed speech, language and communication skills, a need that has increased significantly since the pandemic.

We’re thrilled to fund this accessible and joyful way for parents and carers to support their child’s communication development through shared stories, play and creative exploration. We can’t wait to see how the next chapter is written.