Story Writing Games for Kids: Story Maker
Story Maker is a free, guided story writing studio. Children choose illustrated cards for a setting, a hero, a problem and a special object, then write their story one part at a time on a story mountain, with sentence starters, a word bank and a checklist that ticks itself as they write.
Story Maker
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- Ages
- 6–12
- School years
- Year 2–Year 7
- Skills
- Planning a story with a beginning, middle and end, Using a story mountain: build-up, problem and resolution, Capital letters and full stops (periods)
- Time
- 2–5 minutes a round
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
- Updated
How to play Story Maker
- Choose Junior or Senior, then pick a setting, a hero, a problem and an object from the picture cards, or press Surprise me. You can give your hero a name.
- Climb the story mountain: Beginning, Build-up, Problem, Resolution and Ending. Each part has a tip and sentence starters to tap, then you keep writing in your own words.
- Use the word bank for better words for said, describing words, time words, feelings and action words. Watch the checklist tick itself for capital letters, end marks, adjectives and time words, plus speech marks on Senior.
- Press Make my book to see your illustrated mini-book. Read it aloud, print it, or find it later in My stories. Your story is saved only on your device.
What your child learns
- Planning a story with a beginning, middle and end
- Using a story mountain: build-up, problem and resolution
- Capital letters and full stops (periods)
- Choosing adjectives and vivid verbs
- Time connectives such as then, suddenly and finally
- Using speech marks (quotation marks) and words other than said
- Reading your own writing aloud to check it
About Story Maker
A blank page is the hardest part of writing. Story Maker removes it: the cards give children a setting, character, problem and object to write about, and the story mountain breaks the story into five short parts, each with a clear job. Sentence starters get the first words down, and the word bank offers vivid vocabulary at exactly the moment it is useful, which is how teachers model writing in class.
Junior, for Years 2–4, checks five things as children type: every part written, capital letters at the start of sentences (and for I), end marks, at least one adjective and a time connective. Senior, for Years 5–7, adds speech marks around spoken words, a better word for said, sentence openers and at least ten sentences. The checklist shows what it found, such as the first adjective used, so children learn what each item means. Stars come from the checklist. Finished stories become an illustrated mini-book that can be read aloud, printed or saved in My stories. Stories are kept only in the browser on the device; nothing is uploaded, and a light filter hides rude words.
Which level should my child play?
| School year | Suggested level |
|---|---|
| Year 2 | Junior |
| Year 3 | Junior |
| Year 4 | Junior |
| Year 5 | Senior |
| Year 6 | Senior |
| Year 7 | Senior |
Move up a level after getting three stars two or three times in a row.
🏆 Leaderboard
Full leaderboard →Play a round to get on the board! Create a free account to save your scores.
Free 12-minute Reading Check
Is your child on track with reading?
four short stories and fact texts that adapt as your child reads, with a reading level, an estimated reading age and a report on comprehension. Free, no sign-up to start.
Frequently asked questions
Where is my story saved?
Only in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else. Your story in progress is saved as a draft as you type, and finished stories appear in My stories. Clearing your browser data removes them, so print any you want to keep.
How do I print the mini-book?
Finish your story and press Make my book, then Print my book. The book prints as a cover and five illustrated pages, two to a sheet, ready to cut out and staple. Choose Save as PDF in the print window to keep a copy.
How does the checklist know what I wrote?
It looks at your text as you type: whether each sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (period), question mark or exclamation mark, and whether you used words from its lists of adjectives, time words and words for said. It is a helpful guide, not a teacher, so read your story aloud to check it too.
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Help your child shine in English
Practice at home is a great start. Success Tutoring offers personalised tutoring to build skills and confidence.