A free storytelling activity
Change one thing.
A dragon guards a bridge.
One problem: he’s afraid of heights.
What happens next? Explore how a character’s choice changes the story that follows.
10 minutes · Tell, draw, or write
Elementary, with younger and older variations
An experiment in cause and effect
Try it in ten minutes
Explore how one change reshapes a story. No supplies needed unless you want to draw or write.
- Start with: “A dragon guards the only bridge into town. A traveler wants to cross.” Alone or in pairs, tell, draw, or write two or three events.
- Now give the dragon a fear of heights. Keep the bridge and traveler’s goal. What does the dragon do because of that fear? What does the traveler do next?
- Compare your versions. Which later event changed because of the dragon’s choice? Sharing with the whole group is optional.
Make it fit
Younger: Offer two choices: ask for help or block the bridge. Children can point, gesture, speak, or draw what follows.
Older: Keep the fear unnamed. Let a partner infer it from the dragon’s actions, then try a second response to the same fear.
At home: Take turns adding an event caused by the previous one. An adult can record or retell the story.
Follow the consequences
Ask: “What happened because of that choice?” Trace one event back to the dragon’s response. Then try a different response and see which later event changes.
For a longer experiment, introduce a second traveler with a different goal. Keep the dragon’s fear and explore what the new arrival changes.
Another useful starting point
Project Zero’s Creative Question Starts
If your group enjoys asking “what if,” this free routine offers question starters, a way to choose a question, and reflection prompts. Useful for classroom or library discussions about an object, artwork, or topic. The page adds facilitation notes, with optional English and Spanish PDFs. No login.
An original activity by Adam Lehrhaupt, shared in the newsletter sample.
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