6 Ideas to Try Right Now
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#1·10–15 min
Storytelling Chain
🛒Materials: None
- 1First person says one sentence to start a story.
- 2Each person adds one sentence.
- 3See how wild and funny it gets!
👁️
#2·5–10 min
I Spy
🛒Materials: None
- 1One person says 'I spy with my little eye, something...' and gives a clue.
- 2Others guess what it is.
- 3Whoever guesses correctly goes next.
📕
#3·30–45 min
Write and Illustrate a Mini Book
🛒Materials: 5 sheets of paper, stapler or string, pencils
- 1Fold 5 sheets of paper in half and staple along the fold.
- 2Page 1: title and author's name (them!).
- 3Write and illustrate one scene per page — 4 pages of story.
💡
Ask: 'What's the twist at the end?' — 7–8 year olds love a plot twist.
🎬
#4·30–45 min
Stop-Motion Animation
🛒Materials: Phone/tablet, small toys or playdough figures
- 1Set up figures on a flat surface with consistent lighting.
- 2Move figures a tiny bit, take a photo. Repeat 20–30 times.
- 3Use a free stop-motion app (or just flick through the photos fast).
💡
Even 20 photos makes a surprisingly good animation.
🌀
#5·30 min
DIY Maze Game
🛒Materials: Cardboard box lid, straws, glue, marble
- 1Glue plastic straws inside a box lid to create paths.
- 2Leave openings to form a maze.
- 3Place a marble at the start and tilt the lid to navigate it to the end.
🎭
#6·30–45 min
Shadow Puppet Theater
🛒Materials: Cereal box, tissue paper, flashlight, skewers
- 1Cut a large window in a cereal box and tape tissue paper over it.
- 2Cut puppet shapes from cardboard and tape them to skewers.
- 3Shine a flashlight behind the box to put on a show.
