Every Tuesday, we will write about “play” and how adults and children alike can have this in their lives.

A favorite game of ours is The Storybook Game by Fundex.  I believe that the ability to tell stories is a very important skill for children and adults to have in today’s creative world.  ”Narrative imagining — story — is the fundamental instrument of thought.” Mark Turner, Literary Mind.  

This is a great game to practice your own “narrative imaginings.” 

It is a game in which funny characters, such as a monster or an alien, and everyday items, such as a bus or a carrot, are depicted on cards with the word below the picture.  The rules included with the game are that each person takes a turn drawing a card and adding to a “once upon a time” story without looking at the previous cards.  If you forget part of the story, you are out.  We bought this when my son was three and he had difficulty doing it this way, so we adapted it. 

The way we play is that each person gets 5 cards and has to turn them face down.  The player begins by saying ”once upon a time. . . ” and turning over the first card to begin the story.  The player then turns over each card one by one and tries to add it to the story.  It is a non-competitive version which creates many laughs and silly stories.  It allows kids to practice talking in front of others, practice their story-telling skills, and is a great way to play one-on-one with Mom or Dad.  And, it’s fun!  We have played this game many times with kids ages 4, 6, 8, 10 and 17, and they all had a blast.   

It also comes in a great lunch box style tin which makes it so easy to take on trips.   This would make a great gift for kids or for a whole family — the gift of stories, what could be better?    

Posted under Happiness Project, Kid Gifts, Play, Storytelling