Using the Room on the Broom Resource Pack in Practice
Most teachers and librarians who grab the Room on the Broom material are looking for lesson plans, printable worksheets, or audio recordings to pair with the text. The book itself is a rhyming story about a witch who loses items on her broomstick and gains animal companions along the way. It is widely used in early literacy programs across the UK and beyond. The Rhyming couplets, repetitive structure, and predictable pattern make it a staple for phonics instruction and read-aloud sessions. I ran into a problem last term when trying to use the official audio read-aloud with a group of five-year-olds. The narrator's pace is fast enough that several children with speech and language needs were dropping out of the activity after two minutes. The recording is roughly 7 minutes long at full speed. I ended up splitting it into three segments and pausing between each one to check comprehension. That approach worked far better than pushing through the full track in one go. You can control the playback speed on most digital versions, which helps significantly.
Where to find the Julia Donaldson Room On The Broom materials
The most reliable sources for official resources are the publisher's website (Puffin Books, part of Penguin Random House Children's) and the Scholastic UK site. Macmillan Children's Books also hosts a dedicated activity page with printable sheets. For the audio, Audible and various library platforms carry the read-along version narrated by Sophie Aldred. There is also a CBeebies animated adaptation available on BBC iPlayer if you want something visual to pair with the book. I should note that some of the free PDF worksheets you find on third-party education sites are not officially licensed. They tend to be poorly formatted with mismatched fonts and low-resolution images. I stopped using those after one instance where a colouring sheet had the witch's hat the wrong colour and the animals were drawn inconsistently with the original illustrations. Sticking to the publisher-provided materials saves you from that kind of embarrassment in front of a class.
What the resource pack actually contains
The official teaching pack from Macmillan typically includes a lesson plan overview, phonics activity sheets focused on the '-ob' and '-at' word families, comprehension questions, and a character description worksheet. There are usually sequencing cards that let children put the story events in order. Some versions also include a puppet template for the cat, dog, frog, bird, and dragon. The phonics focus is specifically on CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and simple rhyme patterns. That is worth keeping in mind because the book uses some trickier vocabulary alongside the simpler words. Words like "gobbling," "bellowing," and "claw" appear in the text and may need pre-teaching for younger readers. I always spend five minutes going over those before the first read-aloud. Skipping that step usually means half the class zones out during those passages.
Common pitfalls when using this text
One thing people miss is the cumulative structure of the story. Each time the witch loses something, the new animal joins and the sentence pattern repeats with a slight variation. Beginners often treat this as just a counting exercise, but the real pedagogical value is in the predictability. Children start anticipating the next line, which builds confidence in early readers. I recommend letting the children chime in on the repeated refrain before reading the full text aloud. It changes the dynamic completely from passive listening to active participation. Another issue is the assumption that every child will find the dragon section funny. The dragon scene is where the story pivots from gentle comedy to mild tension, and some younger listeners actually get unsettled. I learned this the hard way when a child started crying during the part where the dragon swallows the broom whole. Having a quick plan to pause and reframe that moment — maybe asking the class what they think will happen next to redirect the anxiety — helped me get back on track without making a scene.
A workaround for large groups
If you are working with a class of twenty-five or more, reading the full text each time gets exhausting and attention spans fragment. My solution is to read the first half in session one and the second half in session two, with a quick recap using the sequencing cards at the start of the follow-up lesson. This usually holds engagement better than rushing through in one sitting. The book is long enough that one session often leaves the tail end feeling rushed and the children anticlimactic by the time they reach the resolution. You can also try a readers theatre approach where different children read the animal parts with distinct voices. The frog does a croak, the bird chirps, the dog barks. It takes more preparation upfront but cuts discussion time later because the children are so invested in their roles. I have seen this extend a single lesson into a full week of activities without anyone getting bored.
Limitations to be aware of
The resource pack is not universally applicable. The phonics focus assumes a particular stage of reading development that not all children have reached. If you are working with children who are significantly below or above the expected level for the '-ob' and '-at' word families, you will need to supplement with other materials. I have had to pivot to different texts entirely for children who are still mastering basic letter sounds, because jumping straight into the story comprehension questions left them disengaged. There is also the matter of the printed book's availability. Certain editions go out of print and can be expensive to replace. The second-hand market has inflated prices noticeably since the CBeebies adaptation aired. Buying a brand-new copy from the publisher's shop is the safest route if budget allows, otherwise checking with your local library system for a reserve copy is a practical alternative.
Bottom line
The book works well when you match the activities to your group's actual reading level and when you manage the pacing of the read-aloud rather than treating it as a single sitting. The official resources are solid but limited in scope, so planning around those constraints early saves time later.
Get the Full Details
