Before I became a psychologist, I used to be a recreation director in San Francisco where I taught children’s acting classes. One of the many games I enjoyed playing with the children was a storytelling game. Each child took turns adding to the story which helped to build literacy, confidence and imagination. I have started doing various versions of this game with our children. It is a great game to play just about anywhere. We often play it in the car and they take turns starting the story.
Pass the Mitten Storytelling Game:
You will need:
- a mitten (or substitute anything you have on hand)
- children (That’s it!)
To play this version of the game, give the child who will start the game a mitten. Tell the child to begin the story with one sentence and then pass the mitten to the person sitting on the right. The next child will add a sentence until the story reaches a conclusion. The child with the mitten is likely to put it on. This adds to the fun of being the storyteller.
For example:
Child #1: Once upon a time, in the woods, there was a small house.
Child #2: It was a small house but it started growing.
Child #3: It grew so big that it bumped into the trees.
Initially, let the children go anywhere they want to go with the story. Once they have the idea of the game, encourage them to create and solve a problem in the story. They should not negate any contributions from other children. If one child says the house is small. The next child cannot say that there is not a house. If possible play several rounds or do the game on different days so that all the children have a chance to start a story. In a larger classroom, you can also have more than one circle of children doing the game simultaneously.
Check out more Mitten themed educational activities from the #TeachECE team:
Mystery Mitten Letter Sound Game by Growing Book by Book
Mitten Letter Matching on a Clothesline by Mom Inspired Life
Mystery Mitten Tactile Counting Game for Preschool! by The Preschool Toolbox Blog
Mitten Matching Activities for Preschool by Life Over C’s
3 Hands-On Mitten Activities for Preschoolers by Tiny Tots Adventures
Number Bonds 0-10 by Rainy Day Mumm
The Mitten Experiment by Powerful Mothering
Mitten Sight Word Games by The Educators’ Spin On It
What a fun way to encourage storytelling.
A great idea – I used to love doing ice breaker activities like this with classes at high school never thought about the language skills that it encourages lower down the school system.
What a fun way to give all kids a chance to add to the story.
Thank you Growing Book by Book.
: 0 ) Theresa
Hi Cerys.
I taught acting to kids ages 4-17 and storytelling games worked for all of those ages. The only change was how elaborate the stories became as they got older.
: 0 ) Theresa
Thank you Amanda.
They have so much fun adding to it and the surprise element is they don't know what the other children will add.
: 0 ) Theresa
I love this storytelling idea!
Thank you Trisha!
: 0 ) Theresa
Omg such a cute idea!!!! Just love this!!
What a fun and creative idea. It's fun to see where kids go with their stories. Great way to teach them to take turns and listen too.
Thank you CourtneyLynne!
: 0 ) Theresa
Thank you Jules.
It really does help with listening and taking turns. Taking turns is something our kids have been familiar with since birth I think. : )
: 0 ) Theresa
I really want to play this with my kids.. I bet it would be so funny! Great idea!
Thank you WorkingMomMagic.
I hope you and your kids enjoy trying it out. They really do tell funny stories!
: 0 ) Theresa
HAHA I can just imagine my son playing this. I am going to pass this on to my sister her son would love this.
Thank you Iman.
I hope your nephew enjoys it. Perhaps he and your son can play together.
: 0 ) Theresa
love story telling! great idea
What a great idea for imagination! We used to do something like this during walks – minus the mitten – but we need to give a try again!
Thank you Nicolette.
: 0 ) Theresa
Thank you Emma.
We do a version in the car minus the mitten too. It really keeps the kids entertained and they are so proud of themselves when they tell their own stories.
: 0 ) Theresa
Aw, what a great idea for a game! I think that my little guy would definitely love something like this. He loves telling stories!
Thank you Jennifer.
Kids are so cute when they tell stories. I bet your little guy tells some great stories!
: 0 ) Theresa