Story Mountain explained: planning a story step by step
The Story Mountain is a simple way to plan a story so it has a shape. Picture a mountain: the story climbs to an exciting peak and then comes back down. Children aged about 7 to 12 use it in many schools.
The five parts
- Opening: introduce who and where.
- Build-up: something starts to happen, and the tension grows.
- Climax: the most exciting or tense moment, the top of the mountain.
- Resolution: the problem gets sorted out.
- Ending: how things settle, and how the character feels now.
A tiny example
- Opening: Mia is camping with her dad by a lake.
- Build-up: At night she hears a rustling outside the tent.
- Climax: She unzips the tent and sees two glowing eyes.
- Resolution: It is a hedgehog looking for crumbs.
- Ending: Mia laughs, shares a biscuit and falls asleep.
How to use it
Draw a mountain on paper and write one line at each point before your child writes the story. Planning takes two minutes and fixes the most common problem in children's stories: a lot of build-up and then a rushed ending.
Common problems
- No problem: the story is just a list of things that happened. Ask what goes wrong.
- A climax that is not very exciting. Ask what the worst thing that could happen is.
- An abrupt ending. Ask how the character feels at the end and what has changed.
Make it their own
Once they can use the mountain, encourage them to change it: start in the middle of the action or end on a surprise. Structure is a starting point, not a cage.
Common questions
What age is the Story Mountain for?
It is most often used with children of about 7 to 12, but the idea works for any age.
Does every story need all five parts?
For planning, yes. Later they can vary or combine parts.
Get feedback on your child's writing
LiteracyLab AI reads a child's own writing and gives specific feedback: what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year and curriculum. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.