Present the nightly news

What can I use if I don't have sticky notes or colouring materials for the labels and cue cards?

Use small folded paper tags or masking tape to label each prop and substitute crayons, coloured pencils, or markers for making the cue cards and prop tags.

My child keeps going over the three-minute limit or freezes while recording—what troubleshooting steps can help?

Set and watch the timer during practice, shorten scripts by keeping headlines to one sentence and the weather to two sentences, and run the single practice read-through with the cue cards before recording to smooth any pauses.

How can we adapt the activity for younger or older children?

For younger kids, use picture-only cue cards, single-word or one-sentence headlines, and a 1–2 minute timer, while older children can write longer 3–4 sentence fun stories, add extra labeled props, and try different camera angles with the device.

What are simple ways to extend or personalize the nightly news broadcast?

Create a paper backdrop colored with your colouring materials, add a short theme tune recorded on your device, make on-screen paper graphics for headlines, or invite a family member to co-anchor using their own labeled prop.