This is another one for the older children to make but it will become a great activity that the whole family can play once it is finished.  This is a great literacy activity for all ages and makes a lovely homemade substitute for Rory’s Stories Cubes.

Story Stones

For this activity you will need:

• a selection of stones
  • They should be small enough that you can hold a collection of them in small container or bag but large enough that you can draw a simple picture on each one
• a small bag or box
  • this will be to keep the stones in and to draw a stone out of to play the game so it is best if it is something the people playing can reach into and choose one without looking at them
•  fine tip markers or paints with fine paint brushes
• varnish (optional)

Once you have an appropriate number of stones and your supplies ready you can get to work drawing or painting one image on each of the stones.  It is best to choose simple images so all people playing the game can understand what each of them are.  Here is a list of a few that may help to get you started…

• key               
• sun
• moon
• boat
• car
• wand
• fish
• turtle
• sheep
• dog
• cat
• plane
• lock
• flower
• clock

You get the idea.  Now come up with some of your own.

Once you have made all of your story stones and they are nice and dry you can varnish them to help preserve the image during game play.  Once your story stones are ready pop them all into the bag and mix them up.  You play simply by pulling a one (or two or a few) out of the bag and making up a portion of a story using the image(s) on the stone(s) that you have pulled out of the bag.  You could also turn them all over and move them about on the floor and choose them this way.  Then the next person chooses one and continues the story by adding in their image to your story.  Play continues in this way.

You can also use these story stones to teach vocabulary, spelling and additional languages by pulling a stone out and saying/spelling the word first in English and then in the additional language.  If you would like to use them for this purpose you may want to have some input into what words/images your child puts on the stones.

We would love to see the stones you create and to hear the weird and wonderful stories you come up with as a result.  Do send us some love on social media — Facebook, twitter and/or instagram.  Thank you!

Happy story telling!

All the best,

April