The Progressive Stories Game - The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance

by Marilyn Ludolph, Ed.D

The Progressive Stories game engages children in storytelling! This wonderful game can be played by the whole family and is just as much fun with adults as with children. This activity is designed to help children (and adults!) think on their feet. This should be a fast-paced activity.

A story, begun by one of the children participating, might be about something that happened to someone. The first child tells one sentence of the story. The next child continues the story, adding a sentence of their own making. This continues until the child who began the story decides that the story is finished and proclaims “The end.” The next child could then begin a new story.

This activity is great for children because it teaches them listening skills and helps them create and express their ideas.

There are (of course!) variations of this game. “Fortunately, Unfortunately” is one of these, played in the same way. The first to begin starts with a sentence of the story. The next to go must start their sentence with the word ‘unfortunately” for their part, thinking up something that adds a complication to the story. The next person must start with the word “fortunately,” solving the problem and continuing the story.