Paper story dice

From the house

• 6 small squares of paper
• A marker
• Tape and a small box, or a cup

How to play

1. Draw one simple picture on each square together: a cat, a house, a moon, a crown, a tree and a boat.
2. Tape the squares onto the sides of a small box, or fold them up and drop them in a cup.
3. Roll the box (or pull out a paper) and start a story with that picture: “Once there was a cat…”
4. Roll again and ask, “What happens next?”, and after four or five rolls, find an ending together.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Use three pictures and tell most of the story yourself, letting them name each picture and decide what it does.
• Harder: They draw the pictures themselves, or roll twice each turn and fit both into the story.

Words to use

• what happens next
• then
• because
• suddenly
• the end

Why it helps

Fitting a surprise picture into the story makes them think about what happens next and why, which is how a story holds together.