Tell a Tale with a Story Stick

Here’s a hands-on storytelling activity to help you and your friends spin a terrific tale.

Find a stick and decorate it with paint, yarn, feathers, wire, beads, or anything else you can find.

storey-Tell a Tale with a Story Stick-01

Now sit in a circle with your family or friends and start to tell a story. You could say, “Have you heard the story about…” or “Once upon a time there was…” Now pass the stick to someone else in the circle.

storey-Tell a Tale with a Story Stick-02

The only person allowed to speak is the one who is holding the Story Stick! Keep passing the Story Stick around and keep adding onto the story. Let your imagination run wild. It’s fun to see where the tale will go!

The Circle Round Picture Book series combines traditional folktales from around the world with creative storytelling activities based on the award-winning Circle Round podcast, produced by WBUR.

Excerpted and adapted from The Tale of the Unwelcome Guest © Rebecca Sheir. Storytelling activity by Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup © Storey Publishing.


Rebecca Sheir

About the Author

Rebecca Sheir is the author of the Circle Round books The Tale of the Unwelcome Guest, A Taste of Honey, and The Great Ball Game, and the host, writer, and producer of the Circle Round storytelling podcast. Distributed by WBUR (Boston's NPR station), Circle Round is heard in all 50 states and nearly 200 countries and has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and TIME. Sheir has also brought thousands of stories to life as a news reporter on public-radio shows like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, The Splendid Table, and Marketplace. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and son.   

Nikita Abuya is a digital illustrator and graphic designer from Nairobi, Kenya. Her work celebrates the current generation in pop culture and fashion, as well as aspects from her African heritage.

Learn more about this author

Related Books

  • A Taste of Honey

    A Taste of Honey

  • The Great Ball Game

    The Great Ball Game

  • Love Your Amazing Self

    Love Your Amazing Self

  • How to Sleep Tight through the Night

    How to Sleep Tight through the Night

Related Articles