I have been waiting for this day since I first had the idea of doing a Storyteller’s Bag for writing prompts. This was one of my favorite activities as a teacher so I am excited to see where this leads you and your munchkins.

First, let me start off by saying that nothing has to be written down. Sometimes some of the best ideas just come from a brain dump or free-flowing thoughts. So, be very organic about this exercise.

From: How Does She

How to use the Storyteller’s Bag: (the possibilities are endless)

Reveal your Storyteller’s Bag to the children as if it were precious cargo. It truly is as it contains a wealth of creative potential!

1. Have a child pull an object out of the bag and tell you a story about it. For young children, it may be a few words to describe the object or a few sentences about the object. Don’t make it overwhelming, because you want this to become an exercise they as for again and again.
   1. (I pull the card and tell a story about it. Sam pulls the mirror and does the same. Ellie gets the spider, etc.)
2. Pull an object out of the bag and pass it from person to person. As the object is passed to a different person, that person adds to the story.
   1. (I am the first one and I pull the fire truck… we pass it around creating a group story about the fire truck.)
3. An addition to #2, once the first object makes it back to the person who started the story, have the person pull another object out of the bag and continue the story with that added element.
   1. (After the fire truck is passed around, I pull out the spider. I add that a group of spiders have moved into the station to be community helpers… the story continues around the circle.)
4. Have everyone pull an object out of the bag. Create a story together that involves all of the objects.
   1. (Collectively, we pull out the puzzle piece, the smiley face and the butterfly and we create a story weaving all of those elements together.)
5. An addition to #5, after a few minutes of story-telling, place an object back in the bag as if it left the story. Where did it go? What happened to it?
   1. (After a few minutes, the smiley face is put back into the bag. What happens next? Where did our smiles go?)
6. YOUR TURN! Let your crew come up with their own ways to use the contents in the bag to stretch their creativity!

*** If (WHEN) this becomes a popular thing to do in your house, don’t forget to replace the items in the bag. I don’t suggest doing it all at one time, but frequently remove an item, add an item, etc. so that it is always evolving!

Storytellers unite! I’d love to hear from you!

• Have you used a Storyteller’s Bag in the past?
• Did you make one as a result of yesterday’s post?
• How have you used one?
• Do you have any additional ways to play?

If YES, please let me know! I’d love to pass along your ideas (and give you credit for them).

Hope you and yours have a wonderful time creating ideas and sharing stories with one another.

Have a happy Thursday! Stay safe and well! 

FYI – Here is the link from a blog post on the Storyteller’s Bag called Story In A Bag.