What's The Point
Authors use character, setting, and action to help tell a story. Get ready to experience just that as you and your child create silly stories by drawing story parts out of a bag.
Story Maker app for iPhone
– Choose characters, settings, and actions to create a pop-up fairy tale.
This Activity Will Help Your Child
- Build vocabulary
- Become familiar with essential parts of a story
- Develop story sequencing skills
- Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book
by Cynthia Rylant
- Rocket Writes a Story
by Tad Hills
4 Paper lunch bags
20 3x5 Index cards
Pencil or Marker
How Do I Do It?
Create Story Builder Bags
- Write Character, Setting, Action, and Wild Word on separate lunch bags.
- With your child, choose five characters, five settings and five actions to use in your stories. Be creative. Be silly. For example, a pet rabbit, the moon and surfing would be a good start!
- Write or draw a picture of these on individual index cards and put them in their appropriate bags.
- Help your child identify five new words to use as “wild words” in the stories. Look in a dictionary or walk around the house to get ideas for words. Write them down on index cards and place them in the Wild Word bag.
Build Silly Stories
- Invite your child to draw one card from each bag.
- Create a silly story based on these cards.
- Encourage your child to include a beginning, middle and end.
- Take turns creating stories. Choose a favorite one and encourage your child to share it with a friend.
Take It Further
- Draw multiple cards to make the story more complex.
- Take turns telling a different silly story with the same cards.
- Choose a favorite silly story and write it down. Draw pictures to illustrate it.