Story Dice

I found this activity in the Scholastic Instructor magazine and thought it was a great idea. It is a playful way to generate writing/story ideas. I found blocks in our preschool with pictures already on them or you could take blocks in the shape of a cube and put a different sticker on each side. The stickers should be of an item such as a flower, dog, Christmas tree, car or anything else that could be made into a story. Have the students roll one, two, or three blocks and challenge them to make a story using the pictures that lands face-up on the blocks. This activity can be done as a group, where each student adds to the story or as an individual assignment. Depending on the level of the students the teacher may suggest that one picture needs to be the main topic of the story, while the other pictures may provide a setting or crucial point in the story. As the students develop an understanding and are able to tell longer stories, more blocks could be added to be included into the story. This is a great way to teach creativity and the ability to choose a topic for a story. Story telling is a great way for children to use their imagination and thought process. If the story is told in a group the children need to remember what has already happened so that they can add to the story. It may be a great idea to write the story down as it is being told, so that reminders can be given of what has already happened in the story and the story can be read back to the students at the end. Story telling can be so much fun!