Story dice — cubes with a different picture on each face — give children a structured, low-pressure way to practice narrative composition. Children roll 3–5 dice and must incorporate every image into a story. The randomness means there's no "right" story, so every child's contribution is valid and surprising. The game builds the core elements of narrative — characters, setting, events, resolution — in a context that feels like a game rather than a literacy lesson.

Making DIY Story Dice

1. Cover plain wooden dice (or foam cubes) with small picture stickers — animals, objects, weather, emotions, places.
2. Or print and cut pictures from magazines; mod-podge them to foam cubes.
3. Commercial story dice (Rory's Story Cubes) are also excellent and widely available.

How to Play

1. One child rolls 3–5 dice.
2. Look at the pictures — they will be the elements of the story.
3. Begin: "Once upon a time there was a [image 1] who wanted to [image 2]..."
4. Work all images into the story — order doesn't matter.
5. Each player adds a sentence or continues the story.
6. When all dice are incorporated, end with "and they all lived happily ever after" or a creative ending.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do story dice support early literacy development?

Oral storytelling is a direct precursor to written narrative — children who can tell structured stories orally are significantly better prepared for the demands of written composition. Story dice specifically develop narrative elements (characters, setting, problem, solution), vocabulary (describing the images), inferencing (connecting unrelated images logically), and sequential language (first, then, next, finally). Children who tell elaborate stories before age 6 consistently outperform peers in both reading comprehension and writing through early schooling.

Related activities: Puppet Theater | Storytelling with Photos | News Reporter Play