I love telling stories with my children. Last year, my sister gave Rosie some beautiful fairy tale storytelling cards. Each has a different picture on it, and you use them to help you tell a story. These paint sample storytelling cards were inspired by that gift.  There are lots of way to play with the cards. We like to make them into a deck, start a story, and deal them out one at a time, each image adding inspiration for the next line of the story. For instance, “Once upon a time…” (flip over story card of a black cat) “there was a black cat who lived in a cabin in the woods.” (flip over story card of a key) “For many years, the cat had been searching for a secret key…” (flip over story card of a moonlit lake) “The key was hidden at the bottom of a deep lake and was only visible by moonlight…” Etc., etc.

This is a great game to play with small children. My girls, Rosie and Paloma, are 5 and 4, and my son, Kells just turned 2. We all love to play with storytelling cards.

The great news is–they are sooooo easy to make. The kids will enjoy making them right along with you.

I made mine from paint samples that I have had for about 7 years because I thought they were too beautiful to throw away… If you don’t have old paint samples laying around, I am not necessarily encouraging you to take some next time you are in Wal-Mart. But I am not necessarily discouraging it either…   (I will consider that you are researching for future paint projects.)  Another option is to make them from old cereal boxes. I love the kraft color as a base for art projects, so the inside of an old cereal box is perfect for something like this. Be creative. Have fun. Cut and paste. Doodle. These are so easy and fun. And they make a great gift for kids.

Here we go.

How-To Tuesdays #4: Paint Sample Storytelling Cards

Supplies:
paint samples or cereal boxes
magazines, old books, etc. for cutting and pasting
scissors
glue
optional drawing supplies

1. Prepare your story card. If you are using paint samples, you are ready! If you are using cereal boxes, cut them into squares (or rectangles or circles, etc.)

2. Find an image that you like. Cut it out, and glue it to your story card.

3. Repeat until you have a nice stack of cards for storytelling!

4. Tell a story.

Here are some cards that the kids and I made one afternoon from cereal boxes. I drew simple line drawings, and the kids and I colored them with colored pencils.

Here is one Rosie made by herself.

If you would like more ideas for storytelling with children, I would highly recommend getting Emily K. Neuburger’s Book, Show Me a Story. Her book is completely inspiring. You can find it on her beautiful blog, Red Bird Crafts.

Enjoy your stories. May this Tuesday be a happily ever after.

Love,

Mackenzie