Creative Literary Games for Kids and Family: Make Writing Fun Together
Wondering what to do in your free time with your child (or even with your inner child)? Try one of these games! As a creative writing tutor for children, I promise — good mood and a burst of creative energy are guaranteed.
Tall Tales
What you’ll need: A piece of paper, pens or pencils
On the paper, write the following questions in a column on the left:
Who?
With whom?
Where?
When?
What were they doing?
Who arrived?
What did they say?
What did they do?
How did it end?
You can add your own questions if you like. For example: What emotion, on which planet, in which clothes, etc.
Each participant takes turns answering one question, folds the paper so the answer isn’t visible, and passes it to the next participant. When all the questions are answered, the paper is unfolded. It’s usually very fun! A simple and funny story is created together, but no one knew what it was going to be about. The result is always unexpected, and sometimes so unusual that it sparks further imagination.
Everyone loves this game. It’s a great way to warm up your imagination and reminds you that writing is fun, and in a story, anything can happen! And that makes it all the more surprising and entertaining!
2. Story by Pictures
For this game, you’ll need a chart (for example, 6x6) with various pictures. These could include a cat, a bicycle, a flowerpot, a thundercloud, and so on.
The participant, without looking at the pictures, calls out six numbers from one to thirty-six (or one to six in each row, if they haven’t yet learned how to count that high).
A story is then created based on the selected pictures. This game is truly magical because the story just comes to you as you look at the pictures.
The story can be anything: sad, funny, scary. It could be about friendship, help, or a journey around the world—whatever comes to mind. Whatever you come up with is the right story.
Though it may seem more “childish,” this game requires a bit of guidance to start. It’s important to show an example to the child first — how it works. After playing it a few times, the connections in their mind start to form, and from then on, they won’t stop! :) Children feel very proud of themselves because this game does require some effort, but the result is often very "rewarding," boosting their self-esteem. Plus, the story is filled with personal associations, which makes it even more valuable in the eyes of the creator.
3. "Good News/Bad News"
For this game, you first need to create a hero — who can be anyone (a person, an animal, a vehicle, etc.), but they must be somewhat relatable to us (for example, they like to hum). This way, we can empathize with their adventures.
Next, you need to come up with an important goal for the hero. For example, to catch a flight on time to make it to their grandmother’s birthday. Then, for every action the hero takes, we come up with something that gets in their way. Did they leave the house? The key broke. That’s bad, but not too bad, because they have a spare one. They took the bus, but not the right one. That’s bad, but not too bad — they switched to the metro and arrived even earlier. And so on.
Children love this game! They shout out suggestions and get really involved. It works especially well when the goal chosen is something they’re familiar with, such as getting ready for school, a party, or the holidays.
4. Hat Game
What you’ll need: A piece of paper, a pen or pencil, and a hat or cap.
This is the simplest game, but the result can be truly stunning!
Everyone writes ten answers to the question "Who/What" on small pieces of paper and places them in the hat. Then, pull out one piece of paper and set it aside. Empty the hat and fill it with new pieces that say "What kind of..." or "How..." Pull out a second piece of paper and unfold it along with the first.
You end up with incredible story titles: Chocolate Rose, Purple Hippopotamus, Iron Tree.
Then begins the true feast of imagination: What is this story? What happens in it? Who is the hero?
Definitely try this game and enjoy the pleasure of its results!
5."I Am the Hero!"
Almost 80 years ago, American scholar Joseph Campbell discovered that many ancient stories follow the same pattern: someone enters a new place or finds themselves in an unusual situation, but they overcome it, gain a reward, and return home.
This pattern was called "The Hero's Journey," and writers use it to craft their stories.
Remember when you encountered something new: everything was normal, but then suddenly it changed. How did you manage to deal with it? What did it give you? What did it teach you? How do you now feel about something that used to seem very unusual?
Children usually catch on quickly, remembering many different stories. For example:
"My grandmother went to the store and left me home alone" (it was scary, but I dealt with it and I’m not afraid anymore!).
A trip to the countryside during the holidays is also a popular theme.
The first day of kindergarten or school — always a hit and easy to break down into steps. We often suggest this if a child struggles to recall a memory.
The benefits of this game are hard to overestimate. The looks on children’s faces when they realize how to integrate their personal experiences into a story are priceless. This game isn’t as energetic and wild as the others, but it certainly triggers very important processes, boosts self-esteem, and helps children mature right before your eyes.
6. Ten First Thoughts
The goal of this game: write down the first ten words that come to mind.
The famous writer Ray Bradbury did this to come up with a story.
Looking at these words, you can create: Who the hero is, what they do, where it happens, and what unfolds in the story.
Children get very involved in this game just by coming up with words, and it’s a simple task that keeps them engaged. They love playing with their personal word associations, and they do so with great interest.
That’s all for now. In conclusion, don’t forget to praise yourself for the story you’ve created. Because any story is good if it’s yours!
