Story Lab: Something Went Wrong · Connected Through Play

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Story Lab: Something Went Wrong

A story gets more interesting when something changes. Give a character one small problem and see what they do next. Ask your kids to join this adventure with you. For variations by age check out #Day 2: Something Went Wrong

Gather Your Gear

A toy, stuffed animal, action figure, drawing, household object, or made-up character
PaperPencil, crayons, or markers

Optional: My Story Sparks Notebook

Optional: small objects from Day 1

Steps

Choose a character. It can be a toy, stuffed animal, action figure, drawing, household object, or someone completely made up.
Give the character a name. It can be serious, silly, mysterious, or ridiculous.
Decide one thing about the character. Some ideas if you get stuck include: brave, they hate being sticky, they collect tiny things, they never tell the whole truth, they are always late, they think they are in charge, or they are afraid of something unusual.
Now make one small thing go wrong. Not sure what that is, try one of these to get started: Something is missing, something breaks, someone knocks at the door, a rule changes, or a secret gets out. The character gets stuck or perhaps the character has to help someone they do not want to help.
Ask: What does the character do first?
Build the next part of the story. You can tell it aloud, act it out, draw it, write it, make a comic, or move toys and objects around like a tiny scene.
Stop when the character has made one choice. The story does not have to be finished yet.

Twist

Switch the problem.

Take the same character and give them a completely different problem. Notice how the character changes when the problem changes.

A brave character may act differently when they lose something important than when they have to apologize. A silly character may become serious when someone needs help. A quiet character may surprise everyone when they are the only one who knows what to do.

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Story Lab: Something Went Wrong