Rory’s Story Cubes – Review

by Heather W

This week at our Writer’s Workshop, I pulled out our Story Cubes as one of our writing explorations. Only this time, we were story telling rather than actually writing. Have you seen Rory’s Story Cubes? They are an easy way to incorporate language skills into your homeschool.

How Do Story Cubes Work?

• You get nine cubes with images on them in a convenient box or drawstring bag
• There are three themed sets- nouns, actions, and voyages
• Generally speaking, you roll the 9 cubes and using the pictures tell a story out loud.
• There are many variants for game play and it’s fun to make up a game as you go.

Ways to Use Story Cubes in Your Homeschool

• Pick a theme for the story before you roll the cubes, then tell a story related to the theme using the images rolled.
• Use the cubes to practice verb tense. Tell a story with the 9 pictures in the present tense, then tell the same story in the past or future tense.
• Tell a story you know already based on the cubes you rolled.
• Act out a story based on the cubes.
• Roll all three sets and make up a long story with a large group of people- even for ice breakers.
• Use them for speech articulation practice.
• Add settings to your stories with the voyages cubes.
• Use as a pre-writing activity.

Benefits of Using Story Cubes

• Gives students practice in language and vocabulary
• Fun for large groups as ice breakers and general group activities at co-ops, etc
• Makes a great pre-writing activity
• Provides a creative writing prompt after playing out the game
• Helps kids to learn extemporaneous speaking skills

Rory’s Story Cubes are easy to grab off of the shelf and get going quickly. As we begin to close out our school year, I look for ways to engage our kids creatively in what they need to practice.

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