Play Type

Storyteller

Every toy has a name and a backstory.

Gift ideas for a Storyteller

· Quiz another kid

Remind me beforeor

What it looks like

Storytellers invent characters, voices and whole worlds. They narrate while they play, they want you to be a character too, and the plot matters more than the rules.

Give them a stage and props, not a script.

Outside

  • Turn the playground into a pirate ship and let them run the plot
  • Act out a story on a nature walk, with sticks as swords and wands
  • Chalk a comic strip down the driveway

At home

  • A puppet show with a ticket booth
  • Story dice at dinner, where everyone adds a line
  • A comic book they write and you both draw

With friends

  • Put on a play for the parents, with costumes from the closet
  • Make a stop-motion movie with toys and a phone
  • Tell a story in a circle where each kid adds one sentence

Toys that fit

As an Amazon Associate, How Kids Play earns from qualifying purchases. Nobody pays to be on these lists.

More gift ideas for a Storyteller, by age

On a screen

Worth saying yes to. Ratings shown on each.

Toca Boca WorldApp Store 4+iPad, iPhone, Android · Sells things insideA giant dollhouse of places and characters to make stories with. The base game is plenty. The shop is optional, so set that rule early.
Stop Motion StudioApp Store 4+iPhone, iPad, Mac · Sells things insideTheir toys become a movie. It turns screen time into making something they'll want to show you.
Scribblenauts UnlimitedESRB E10+Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC · Nothing to buy insideType any word and it appears in the world. Great for kids who are reading and love 'what if'.Find it on Amazon

Watch out for

In-app purchase prompts in story apps. Turn on Ask to Buy, or put the device in a mode where purchases need your password.

The other Play Types

Builder Explorer Competitor Collector Performer Puzzler

Made by a dad of three. Ideas and picks are chosen by hand, and nobody pays to be on this site. Game ratings come from the ESRB and the App Store, so check anything yourself before saying yes.Also from the same dad: Nightlight, tonight's dinner and bedtime in three taps, Halftime, for when the day gets away from you, Pipsqueaks, a card game for you and a little kid, and Sparkle Mic, where kids make songs and send them to family.