Inspire Your Young Storyteller with Story Boxes

Human beings have been telling stories since someone first thought to draw a mammoth on a wall with a stick. Telling stories teaches empathy, encourages creativity, and stimulates our imaginations. A fun way to help your child develop storytelling skills is by making story boxes.

Here’s how:

Start with a box. This may be a shoebox, an old cigar box, a lunchbox, or a decorative tin. The possibilities are limitless. If the box is plain, your child might enjoy decorating it.

Place several objects, including human, animal, or fantasy figurines inside. The child opens the box and tells a story that includes all the objects.

Here are a few variations on the basic idea.

Two or more children use the objects to tell an interactive story.

One child tells the opening sentence, then takes turns adding sentences with one or more other children.

Older children may write their stories, either individually or collaboratively and then share them.

Create a story box based on
a theme. (For example, if the cover of the box shows people riding camels, you might include props for a desert scene, along with a toy camel and rider.)

You can use the same story collections over and over, if your child enjoys creating serializations, or you can change out the objects so the child never knows what to expect.

This activity is endlessly adaptable for children of all ages.

If you do this with your child, I’d love to see your story boxes in the comments.