I was looking for a way to build a bit of extra learning into one of James’ favourite pastimes earlier- messy play with oats – and I remembered the old tale of The Magic Porridge Pot. So I rewrote it for James and called it:
The Magic Porridge Pot: You Tell Stop! He enjoyed the rhythm and storytelling and actually forgot about the messy play. A double win for me, less cleaning up 😉
My version is built for children with special educational needs. It’s simple structure to support Makaton signing, with keyword prompts in every section. I thought a great way of weaving in keywords for kids that need support with keywords, big feelings, and remembering (or forgetting) what comes next.
I’ve added some real-world concepts like safe, dangerous, look, and careful. These concepts are more than just story words—they’re life tools. And I’ve tried to keep it funny and joyful. There’s porridge in the school, the cars, the park… everywhere. It’s a silly and hopefully fun way to build engagement and imagination – children rolling like beach balls! Learning how to say stop matters. This is especially true for self-advocacy.
The language is plain but expressive, and there’s plenty of space for children to join in. Some might sign “Pot cook!”, some might tap, gesture, laugh—or just watch. The structure hopefully allows for lots of repetition and learning:
✨ Predictable sequences
✨ Rich emotional vocabulary
✨ Accessible phrasing
✨ Familiar routines with a twist
The story of the Magic Porridge Pot – You Tell Stop!
An inclusive story with signs, and hopefully smiles. I’m still working on the signing videos and visuals —let me know what you think and if you’d like to see more 🙂
Page 1 – The Hungry Family
Once upon a time, there lived a family.
A young boy, a girl, their mummy and daddy.
They had no money to buy food.
They were hungry all the time!
🔑 Key signs: family, boy, girl, mum, dad, food, hungry, time
Page 2 – Into the Forest
“We will go and find food in the forest,” said the children.
“Be careful,” said Mummy.
“Some berries are not safe. Please look for blueberries
“Be careful,” said Daddy.
“Some leaves are dangerous. Look for green, curly kale.”
“OK, we understand,” said the children.
They packed their backpacks and waved goodbye.
🔑 Key signs: safe, dangerous, look, find, children, ok, understand, goodbye
Page 3 – Meeting the Magic Couple
In the forest, they met an old woman and old man.
They were kind and lived in the same town.
“Hello, children. Are you looking for fruit and vegetables again?
Are you hungry again?”
“Yes,” said the children, feeling sad.
“Oh dear,” said Mrs Magic.
“We will give you a magic pot.
Say ‘Pot Cook’ when you want porridge.
Say ‘Pot Stop’ when you have had enough.”
“Thank you!” said the children.
They ran home.
🔑 Key signs: meet, old, woman, man, kind, same, hello, fruit, yes, sad, oh dear, thank you, run, home
Page 4 – Sharing the Porridge
The parents were so happy.
Everyone ate until their tummies were full.
“Yummy yummy!”
“I have an idea,” said the girl.
“Let’s go to town and share.”
“Good thinking, darling!” said Mummy and Daddy, clapping.
The family went to town with their pot.
They set up a table and drew a picture:
“Magic to Share – Eat All You Can!”
They shouted, “Pot Cook!”
🔑 Key signs: parents, happy, eat, tummy, full, share, good, think
Page 5 – Too Much Porridge!
The pot cooked and cooked!
Everyone ate and had big, round tummies!
People started to roll like big beach balls.
They bumped into each other.
It was so much fun!
Everyone laughed—but then felt sleepy.
They forgot something very, very important…
They forgot to say: “Pot Stop!”
🔑 Key signs: important, cook, big, round, tummy, roll, beach, ball, fun, laugh, sleepy, forget, pot, stop
Page 6 – Porridge Everywhere!
While they slept, the pot cooked more…
It filled the park, the supermarket, the cars, and the school!
“Oh dear!” cried everyone.
“What can we do?!”
“We must say, Pot Stop!” said Daddy.
Everyone shouted, “POT STOP!!!”
The pot stopped.
“We won’t be hungry for a long time,” they laughed.
“Next time, we’ll remember to say stop!”
🔑 Key signs: more, park, supermarket, cars, school, what, can, do, must, stop, hungry, next, remember
Learning Contexts
- Communication: key signs, modelling
- Understanding everyday routines: food, hunger, eating.
- Concepts: kindness, safety, cause & effect
- Emotional literacy: happy, sad, sleepy, sharing
- Sequencing: first, next, problem, solution
- Exploring safety and choices: safe/unsafe foods.
- Language development: sequencing, key vocabulary.
- Makaton sign development: key nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
- Social-emotional learning: kindness, sharing, remembering instructions.
Sign Along Vocabulary (categorised)
| Category | Words |
| People & Family | family, boy, girl, mummy, daddy, woman, man, old, young, children, parents |
| Food & Cooking | food, eat, berries, kale, fruit, vegetables, cook, porridge, pot, full, tummy |
| Feelings | hungry, sad, happy, kind, sleepy, fun, laugh |
| Safety Concepts | careful, safe, dangerous |
| Actions | find, look, go, run, wave, forget, remember, draw, shout, share, clap |
| Descriptions | blue, green, curly, big, round, same |
| Places | forest, town, park, supermarket, cars, school |
| Questions & Commands | yes, no, ok, thank you, what, can, do, must, stop, next |
I am James' mum 