Story prompts for kids: 12 starters and 8 storytelling games

Below are eight storytelling games to play at home, in the car or in the classroom, with what you need and the best ages for each, plus twelve story starters ready to use tonight. None of them needs more than paper, a pen and a bit of nerve.

Game 1: story dice you can make at home

Story dice are the classic storytelling game for kids, and homemade ones are half the fun.

• What you need: three wooden cubes from a craft shop, or three paper cubes folded from a template, and felt-tip pens.
• How to make them: draw six small pictures on each cube. Cube one is for characters (a penguin, a knight, a grandma, a robot, a cat, a ghost who is afraid of the dark). Cube two is for places (a bakery, the moon, a pirate ship, a castle, a jungle, a lift). Cube three is for objects or problems (a key, a lost shoe, a storm, a cake, a map, a hole in the boat).
• How to play: roll the three dice and make up a story that uses all three pictures. “A penguin, a bakery and a key” is already a story waiting to happen.

By age: at 3 to 5, roll one die and tell the story together, with you leading. At 6 to 8, roll all three and let your child tell it. At 9 to 12, add a rule: the story must include a twist, or end in exactly five sentences.

Game 2: character, place and object cards

Cards work like dice but give you a bigger supply, and they are ideal for a classroom.

• What you need: thirty pieces of card in three colours, ten of each.
• How to make them: on the first colour, characters (a sleepy dragon, a brave snail, a twin who never stops talking…); on the second, places (a lighthouse, a treehouse, a snowy forest…); on the third, objects (an umbrella, a golden button, a jar that hums…). Children can draw them or write the words.
• How to play: deal one card of each colour, face down. Everyone turns them over at once and has a minute to think. Each player may swap one card with the pile.

In class, players can work in pairs: one tells, the other draws the story as it goes. At home, the cards keep for months in an envelope, and new ones can be added every rainy afternoon.

Storytelling games for kids: taking turns and “what if…?”

Game 3, the story in turns. One person starts with a single sentence: “Once upon a time, a goat found a phone.” The next person adds a sentence, and so on round the table or the car. Rules that help: nobody gets rid of a character, no “and then they all woke up”, and anyone can say “the end” once every player has had at least three turns. For extra giggles, try the fortunately-unfortunately version: each sentence must start with “Fortunately…” or “Unfortunately…”, alternately.

Game 4, “what if…?”. Take an ordinary thing and ask what would happen if it changed. What if it rained lemonade? What if the dog could talk, but only on Tuesdays? What if your shadow went off on its own? Children answer one “what if”, then ask the next one. It is perfect for little ones (3 to 5) who are not ready to tell a whole story but love a silly idea, and for older ones who can build a whole plot from one question.

See where a few simple choices can lead: read our illustrated sample book

Game 5: 12 story starters for kids

A story starter is the first line of a story; the child finishes it, out loud or on paper. Here are twelve ready to use:

• When Mia opened the fridge, a tiny penguin looked up and said, “Close the door, please, you’re letting the warm in.”
• The map was hidden inside a library book, and someone had drawn an X on our street.
• Every night at midnight, the toys held a meeting. Tonight, they had a problem.
• The new boy in class had a suitcase, and the suitcase was humming.
• Grandpa’s old bike had one rule: never ring the bell twice.
• On Tuesday morning, the snow started falling upwards.
• The dragon had been waiting at the bus stop for three hundred years.
• Nobody had ever found the end of our garden. Until today.
• The letter was addressed to “The Bravest Person in This House”.
• On the first night of the holidays, the moon forgot to go home.
• Our dog came back from his walk wearing a tiny crown.
• At the bottom of the swimming pool, there was a door.

By age: younger children can finish the story out loud, with you asking “and then?”. From about seven, many enjoy writing it down, even just five lines. For a classroom, give the same starter to everyone and compare how different the stories turn out.

Games 6 to 8: drawn stories, the story bag and backwards stories

Game 6, the drawn story. Fold a sheet of paper into four or six boxes. Your child draws the story one box at a time, like a comic, then tells it to you. For non-readers, this is often easier than telling first. Older children can add speech bubbles.

Game 7, the story bag. Put five ordinary objects in a bag or pillowcase: a spoon, a sock, a toy car, a shell, a key. Pull out one object at a time, and the story must use each one as it appears. It works brilliantly with a group of children, and the objects can change every time.

Game 8, the backwards story. Start from the ending: “…and that is why the cat now lives on the roof.” The challenge is to work out how it got there. It is a lovely game for ages 8 to 12, because it makes them think about cause and effect, and it often produces the funniest stories of all.

These games pair well with the story ideas in our list of story ideas for kids, and with the five-step method in how to make up a bedtime story.

Turn tonight’s invented story into a picture book, the first book is free

Which story game where: home, car or classroom

• At home, on a rainy afternoon: story dice, the cards, the drawn story, the story bag. They need a table and a bit of time.
• In the car or on a train: the story in turns, “what if…?”, story starters and the backwards story. No equipment, just voices. Keep the dice and cards for the stop.
• In the classroom: cards in pairs, the same story starter for everyone, the drawn story as a writing warm-up, the backwards story for older groups.
• At bedtime: a gentle story in turns, a soft “what if…?” (“What if the moon had a pet?”), or a quiet story starter. Avoid anything that winds children up.

By age, as a rough guide: at 3 to 5, “what if…?”, one story die and the story bag, with lots of help. At 6 to 8, all the dice, cards, the story in turns and the drawn story. At 9 to 12, starters to write, the backwards story and harder rules, like using a list of tricky words.

When an invented story deserves pictures

Sometimes a story game produces a hero your child does not want to let go of. The choices on AI-Koma Kids work a little like a set of story cards: your child picks in pictures a hero from the characters on the site, up to two companions, a world (the enchanted forest, the deep sea, the jungle, the island of a thousand colours…), an adventure (a treasure hunt, a mysterious discovery, a big race…) and a mood. Their favourite cuddly toy can even join in from a photo; the photo is not kept.

A few minutes later the illustrated book is ready, 16 to 20 pages depending on age, to read on screen or print as a PDF. Your child is never drawn; their first name, if you add it, appears in the text. It is one more way to play, not a replacement for the games above.

See the plans: 5 or 10 books a month, no commitment