Kids are natural storytellers! Harness their boundless imagination and creativity with some fun storytelling games. These games build literacy skills like sequencing, vocabulary, and critical thinking while forging connections with others.
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Most of these storytelling games will come to a natural conclusion, but players can always predetermine how long they will play, either time-wise or by how many turns each player will have.
Word by Word/Sentence by Sentence
Start a story with a single word. The next player says that word and builds the story with another word. The next player says the first two words, adds a third, and so on. This game also tests memory! Alternatively, you can tell stories sentence by sentence. TIP: keep sentences short.
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ABC Sentences
This is essentially the same game as Sentence by Sentence but each new sentence must start with the next letter of the alphabet. For example, player 1 starts, "Apples are my favorite fruit!" Player 2 continues, "But when I bit into one this morning, I saw a worm." Player 3 follows with, "Charlie, my pet cat, chased the worm when it tried to scurry away!" Etc. See if you can get all the way to Z!
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Draw a Story
You'll need a paper and pen, and this is best done with only 2-3 players, but if it's a hit, try it with more and a big roll of paper! One player draws a simple object on a blank piece of paper. Then, player 2 uses that object to start to tell a story. After one or two sentences, player 2 adds an object to the drawing and player 1 continues the story incorporating the new object into the story. The story continues this way with each player incorporating into the story the object the previous player drew.
In This Bag Is a Story
Place a number of random items in a large bag. The storyteller starts a story and periodically draws out an object which they must weave into their tale in any way they wish. Alternatively, tell a cooperative story in which players take turns adding to the story as they draw items out of the bag. Include items like face cards (king, queen, jack), keys, small toys, a paint brush, an apple, etc.
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Fortunately/Unfortunately
This imaginative thinking game is inspired by Remy Charlip's book, Fortunately. One player starts a story with a sentence such as "Fortunately, the bus is coming." The next player counters with a contrary sentence such as, "Unfortunately, it turned into an airplane and flew away!" The next player starts again with "Fortunately..." Continue until everyone has collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Mixed Bag Story
Write random words on slips of paper and place them in a paper bag. The words should cover a wide range of parts of speech–verbs, nouns, adjectives, conjunctions, etc. To start, draw a word and create a sentence using that word. Draw a second word and create the second sentence of the story around that word. Continue drawing one word per sentence. Variation: this can be a game in which one player tells an entire story, or, like Sentence by Sentence, players take turns drawing a word and adding a sentence onto the story.
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Hidden Story
On a sheet of paper, the first player writes several sentences to start the story. Write each sentence on a single line. That person then folds down the paper to cover all of the sentences but one. The next player can now only see the last sentence the previous player wrote and they add several more sentences, again folding the paper so that only their last sentence is visible. Continue on until everyone has had a chance to add a few sentences. Unfold the paper and read the entire story out loud!
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Story Cards
Create Me a Story Cards by eeboo. These gorgeous, oversized playing cards inspire kids (and parents) to invent and narrate wacky and imaginative stories. Instructions detail several different ways to use the cards, to keep things interesting. We've used them at dinnertime for a few good laughs. Eeboo makes the cards in several themes (like fairy tales, animals, magic) so there is something for every family.
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Story Cubes
Story Cubes. Players roll a set of nine dice and tell stories based on the images displayed. There are multiple ways to play, with seemingly endless combinations, and you can play with as few or as many players as you wish. Cubes come in a number of themes. In additional to the original Story Cubes, themes include actions, voyages, mystery and some branded versions like Star Wars Story Cubes. You can read about our experience on our Game of the Month feature.
Dixit
Dixit is an award winning game for 3-6 players. It is an unique combination of a storytelling and a guessing game. One player chooses a card, articulates a sentence about that card. Then the other players have to guess which card matches the sentence in order to earn points. It's recommended for ages 8 and up, but I think younger kids can easily play with some adult support.
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