Ingredients:
- Smooth stones of any size
- Stickers
- Magazine pictures
- Paint
- Colored markers
- Textured fabric
- Glue
- Tape
Prep Time:
- Varies depending on ingredients used
Recipe for Fun!
Using one or any combination of ingredients, you can make all different kinds of story stones:
- by painting a picture or words on the stone
- using themed stickers (animals, sports, flowers, people, seasonal holidays)
- drawing on your stones with permanent marker
- decorating with magazine cut-outs and fabric scraps
There’s no right or wrong way to play with the stones. They’re open-ended, and they foster creativity and critical thinking. Some ideas for story stones play include:
Story-telling: One child starts by choosing a story stone and begins to tell a story, or you can pass the basket around at circle time, so that each child draws a stone, and adds another sentence to the story.
Creative play: Story stones can be used as characters in a dollhouse, animals on a farm, food in the play kitchen or store.
Sorting and grouping activities by themes: Make one big pile of all your story stones. Suggest a theme to your child and then let them find the i.e. people stones, the animal stones, the sport stones, the food stones, the holiday stones and more. These sorting and organizing activities help to develop cognitive skills.
Keep in touch and send a message: For older children, have them use colored markers or paint to write a message on a stone to give to someone else. Perfect way to tell someone Happy Birthday, You’re my Friend or even I Love You!