“Mama, tell me a story!”
I hear this phrase often … when we’re driving, washing hair and sitting at a restaurant waiting for our food. Stories are apparently the “cool thing” and although I credit myself with a decent imagination, sometimes, I run out of ideas. My daughter will pitch in with character requests and certain adventures, but sometimes we need a little fresh inspiration.
Enter, story stones!
After bedtime the other night, I whipped up a simple set to partner with us in our story time. They’re easy to make and we’re all loving the new story possibilities. Here’s how you can make your own set of story stones.
SUPPLIES
- 5-10 stones, small (the size of your child’s palm) with at least one flat side
- White acrylic craft paint
- Small foam paint brush
- Set of colorful Sharpie markers
DIRECTIONS
- Your child can actually participate in the beginning stages of this project – collecting rocks and scrubbing them up. Depending on their age, they can paint or help draw too – my daughter is only 3 so the tiny art surface wasn’t ideal for her.
- Lay your rocks out on a newspaper and paint a small white space. I allowed my rocks to dry overnight to thoroughly set the white base so the markers wouldn’t indent into half-dry paint.
- The following evening, I crafted our story components – a forest, sea, cat, little girl, boat and house.
- I popped them into a little cosmetic bag (you know the freebie ones you get with make-up purchases that have a zipper?) and store them in my purse for stories on the go. Yes, I carry rocks in my purse.
A few trial and error tips to pass on … DIY version 1.0 was started with paint pens. I tried a fine tip option and it wasn’t thin enough for any decent pictures. It also wasn’t quite opaque/thick enough for my liking. That’s why I went with Sharpies.
Also, I’m obviously not a true artist — your kids don’t care, so just do your best. They want to interact with you – that’s the point of story stones. To get you both talking, building a story and enjoying time together. So, story on, my friends … set sail on the seven seas, rescue a swimming cat and discover a bright blue house in the middle of the forest, what happens next is up to you!