Creative Storytelling Ideas

Does your child like to play games? How about you?

Sometimes finding quality time to spend with your family can seem like a daunting task. As parents, we try to make what little time we have as meaningful as possible. Playing games with each other can create valuable memories.

One activity you could do with your children of any age involves storytelling. To begin, someone must start the story with "Once upon a time...." and then finish the sentence. Each person takes a turn adding onto the story with another sentence. You can make this last as long or as short as you would like. Each person could take only one turn or the story could go for awhile. After the story has come to a conclusion, the last person says "...and they lived happily every after." The predetermined opening and closing helps to bring a clear beginning and ending to the story.

Story elements can also be taught through this activity, if you wish. You can talk about the main characters, the setting, problems and solutions, and the order of events that took place once the story has been told.

Creativity is a plus! Focus on making the story interesting and crazy, yet still make sense. Once your family gets the hang of the game, I suggest documenting it! What do I mean? Well, maybe the story could be filmed or recorded. If you do this, then there are some great ways to take it to the next level. Using the video, your family could create your own book based on the story. Each member could help with writing the text, drawing illustrations, or developing the book cover. Home made versions of your stories are sweet reminders of the time you share together. For those who would like a more professional version, the final product can be made into a bound book with the help of many popular websites. What a great gift for your extended family for any holiday!

Another fun follow-up activity would be to act out the story in costume! Working together to create wardrobes, props, and sets would make memories to last a lifetime. Don't forget to film the final production. This, too, would be a wonderful gift idea.

Are you camera shy? No worries! Creating a puppet show with hand-made puppets is an adorable alternative to being in front of the camera. Each family member can create their own characters using socks, oven mitts, or just a piece of cloth.

Feeling extra creative? Turn it into a song with instrument! (The instruments can even be homemade.)

If any of you decide to try one of these ideas mentioned above, please share them with us. We would love to see what fun your household has been up to.

"Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture."   -Ken Robinson