Creativity · 14 September 2026 · 1 min read

Five low-cost ways to make stories together at home

You don’t need craft kits or apps to tell stories with children. Here are five ideas that use what you already have.

Storytelling is one of the simplest creative activities there is. These ideas need little more than paper, a pencil and ten spare minutes.

1. The story jar

Write characters, places and problems on slips of paper. Pull one of each and build a story around them.

Take turns adding a sentence. The story will go somewhere neither of you expected.

Pick a familiar tale and ask: what if it ended differently?

Choose a photo from a magazine and ask what happened just before it was taken.

Carry one character from night to night and let your child decide where they go next.