Exploring the value of encouragement through a fable called The Toad and The Tower.
The video
AMY: Hello, I'm Amy and this is the amazing story of The Toad and The Tower.
There, all done.
At the bottom of a tall tower, there was a pond, home to a frog and a toad. Every day, they looked up at the tall tower and wondered what it would be like at the very top. One day, the tiny toad and frog decided they would have a race to the top of the tower.
Other animals arrived to watch the race.
'Where are you going,' asked the owl. The toad and the frog proudly told the owl that they were going to race to the top of the tower. But the owl just laughed: 'Ha ha ha. You can't fly, you can't reach the top of the tower.'
The owl wasn't being very encouraging, but it was time for the race to begin. Ready, steady, go!
The toad and the frog began crawling and hopping as fast as their little legs could carry them.
'Quack, quack, quack. A toad and a frog climbing to the top of the tower,' said the duck. 'That's a silly idea. They'll never make it.'
Everyone agreed the tower was much too tall for the tiny creatures to climb. The frog and the toad heard what everyone was saying.
They looked at the tower. It was very tall, and they didn't feel very encouraged, but the tiny toad thought to herself, 'How do they know it's a silly idea? How do they know I'll never make it to the top?' She decided to ignore the crowds and instead, she sang an encouraging song to herself.
TOAD: I'm climbing to the top and I'm not going to stop!
AMY: Unable to hear the crowd, the tiny toad started to climb.
TOAD: I'm climbing to the top and I'm not going to stop!
AMY: It was hard but she climbed higher and higher. 'Come on, you can do it,' she thought to herself.
'The tower is too tall and you are too small,' said the rabbit.
The frog heard the crowd. All he could see was how far away the top of the tower was and all he could think about was how much his legs ached. And so, the tiny frog decided to give up.
When the toad saw the frog, she was surprised to see him climbing back down.
TOAD: You can do it!
AMY: The toad told the frog not to give up.
FROG: I can't!
AMY: But the frog said that the other animals were right; he wasn't strong enough. The toad told the frog not to listen to the other animals and she started singing her song again.
TOAD: Try harder! I'm climbing to the top and I'm not going to stop.
AMY: And as frog listened to toad's words of encouragement, he began to feel stronger and they both started to sing.
TOAD & FROG: Climbing to the top and I'm not going to stop.
AMY: Frog refused to listen to the other animals' discouragement. And you know what? They both reached the top of the tower.
See, they did do it. Well done, guys! The toad not only encouraged herself, she encouraged the frog too. How brilliant is that! Thank you for helping tell this Treasure Story. It was a fantastic old fable. See you again soon. Bye!
This story is a fable which is known in a number of different versions. The fable helps us to reflect on the importance of encouragement, especially when confronted with pessimistic onlookers.
In this retelling the toad and the frog reach their goal of climbing to the top of a tower. The frog is discouraged by the other animals’ negative comments, but the encouragement of the toad enables them both to overcome the challenge of the climb to achieve their goal. The moral of the story is that there is power in the words we speak - whether to ourselves (our internal dialogue or inner voice) or to other people. Speaking words of encouragement can make all the difference.
Duration: 4’ 24”
Final words: ‘See you again soon. Bye!'
Video questions
- At the beginning of the story what do the frog and the toad want to do? (Have a race to the top of the tower)
- What do the other animals think about the frog and the toad’s plan? (They don't think it's a good idea and they don't offer any encouragement)
- How does the toad encourage herself? What happens? (She sings to herself and tries her hardest - and gradually she makes progress)
- Why does the frog begin to climb again after he has given up? (He is encouraged by the toad)
Teacher Notes
This video could be used to identify common features of religions and beliefs or to retell moral stories. Encouragement is something seen as valuable in many religions and in non-religious worldviews too. You could retell this fable by using animal masks to take part in a dramatic retelling. You could prepare encouraging words for the toad to say and discouraging words for the other animals. Freeze the action at different points in the story and ask how the toad and the frog might feel at that particular moment.
The children might reflect on their own and others’ ideas, feelings and experiences. Use circle time to reflect on occasions when the children have felt encouraged to achieve or do something. What made the difference so that they felt encouraged? Do they ever say words of encouragement to themselves? What could these words be?
The positive change in the story is brought about because the toad encourages her friend, the frog. Discuss as a class what positive changes can be brought about by our encouragement of one another. You could talk about how encouragement could improve your school community. You could create an encouragement board, so that members of the school community could thank others and share how words of encouragement made them feel supported.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
