Peter Pan

First explore children’s prior knowledge of this story. Some may have seen a film adaptation, others may have read retellings. Consider any similarities or differences.

Explain that the original story was first published over one hundred years ago in 1911 and was intended for children of a less technological era. However, it has maintained its ability to impress and intrigue many generations of children, and the concept of never growing up is still sometimes applied to people who remain young at heart and may continue to seek for excitement and adventure, well after reaching adulthood.

It is believed that Barrie created the Peter Pan character based on his older brother, who died in an ice-skating accident at the age of thirteen. Barrie and his mother always spoke of him as ‘the boy who would never grow up’.

Read the summary on the Activity sheet ‘Peter Pan story sheet’. Consider and evaluate the different viewpoints of children about the story, building on the ideas and contributions of each one.

Creating a summary