Characters · 1 of 6
A snail with an empty pocket
The pocket is just big enough for one tiny treasure. What might fit inside?
A free printable storytelling activity
Story-starter cards for little imaginations
A whispering dragon. A library under a lily pad. A moon that has misplaced its hat. Pick three cards and see where your story goes.
This pack has 18 original cards: six characters, six places, and six little problems. That makes 216 starting combinations, with room for your kiddo to invent the rest. Read the cards below, or download the four-page pack to cut out and keep. No account needed.
Both versions contain the same cards and a one-page guide. Print at 100% on the matching paper size. The simple outlines work in black and white; ask a grown-up to help with cutting.
Three cards. One story only you could tell.
1. Pick a little world
Choose one character, one place, and one problem. Lay the three cards in a row. Swap any card that doesn’t feel right today.
2. Wonder out loud
Start with “One day…” and take turns adding a sentence. Ask what your hero notices, who could help, or what they might try next.
3. Find a cozy ending
Solve the small problem and decide where everyone goes afterward. Draw the last scene, whisper a final line, or save another adventure for tomorrow.
Here’s one way a story could begin
Our three cards: a snail with an empty pocket + the kitchen inside a cloud + the moon has lost its hat.
A snail with an empty pocket arrived at the kitchen inside a cloud. The moon was sitting by the mixing bowl. “I have lost my favorite hat,” it said. The snail looked under a spoon. The moon looked behind the flour. Then they heard a tiny sneeze. A puff of cloud was wearing the hat! “May we have it back?” asked the snail. The cloud nodded. “My ears were chilly.” So they folded a tea towel into a little cloud hat. The moon put on its own hat, and the snail tucked a warm biscuit into its pocket for the journey home.
That’s just one ending. Perhaps your cloud would prefer earmuffs, or the hat would turn out to be a soup bowl. Your version belongs to you.
Who is in your story?
Choose one character. Give them a name, a favorite thing, or a funny habit.
Characters · 2 of 6
A dragon who whispers
Their quietest whisper makes a little cloud. What do they want to say?
Characters · 3 of 6
A robot who collects giggles
Each giggle goes into a different jar. What sound does the smallest jar make?
Characters · 4 of 6
A fox with a very long scarf
The scarf has a knot for every friend. Who might add the next knot?
Characters · 5 of 6
A child with a paper crown
The crown is decorated with something unusual. What did they draw on it?
Characters · 6 of 6
A dinosaur in fluffy slippers
One slipper squeaks and the other hums. Where are they tiptoeing?
Where does it happen?
Choose one place. Imagine a sound, a smell, or a small detail you could find there.
Places · 1 of 6
The kitchen inside a cloud
There are moon-shaped spoons and a window full of sky. What is cooking?
Places · 2 of 6
A library under a lily pad
The books stay dry in tiny bubbles. Which book is waiting on the desk?
Places · 3 of 6
The moon’s mitten shop
Some mittens have room for five fingers, and some have room for eight. Who shops here?
Places · 4 of 6
A garden of singing pebbles
Every pebble knows one note. What happens when someone hums along?
Places · 5 of 6
A station for sleepy trains
The benches are cushions and the clock yawns. Where is the next train going?
Places · 6 of 6
A blanket fort by the sea
The doorway has a curtain of ribbons. What can you see from inside?
What small thing needs doing?
Choose one little problem. Find a kind or funny solution, then give everyone a place to rest.
Problems · 1 of 6
The moon has lost its hat
It remembers leaving it somewhere cozy. Where would you look first?
Problems · 2 of 6
One friend has no seat
The picnic is ready, but the blanket is full. How could everyone make room?
Problems · 3 of 6
A song is missing its last note
The singer keeps stopping in the same place. Who could help finish the tune?
Problems · 4 of 6
A tiny parcel needs delivering
It says “For someone who needs a smile.” How will you choose where it goes?
Problems · 5 of 6
The welcome sign is upside down
Visitors think it says something very silly. How could you help them feel at home?
Problems · 6 of 6
A new game needs a name
Everyone has a different idea. How could you choose a name together?
Play it your way
For a little listener: read two cards aloud and let them choose. They can point, draw, make a sound, or decide what happens next while you tell the story.
For a family or classroom: pass the story around one sentence at a time. Anyone can say “pass,” ask for a different card, or invent a helpful new character.
For bedtime: keep the problem small and let your hero head home at the end. There’s no need to use every prompt or finish every idea.
For a kindness story: try “One friend has no seat.” Let your characters ask what the friend would like, then imagine a way to make room. Read our kindness stories for more starting points.
Made to share
You may print, copy, and share this pack free of charge for personal, classroom, and library activities. You may adapt the prompts for those activities. Keep the Wonder Machine credit on copies; do not sell the pack or its cards.
If you’re sharing the activity online, link to this page so families can choose their paper size and find the instructions. You can use the cards entirely offline, without creating a Wonder Machine account.
Keep the adventure going
Read a short bedtime story together, or turn your favorite card combination into a personalized story starring your child. The printable activity is free; creating a Storyscape uses story credits.