tell us a story?
tell us a story? is a simple cooperative storytelling card game for adults to play with children
inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, My Neighbor Totoro/Kiki’s Delivery Service, Wind in the Willows, Finn Family Moomintroll, Peter Pan, and all those silly fantasy stories you used to make up and act out that began with a simple “Once upon a time...”
With 100 open-ended story prompts, tell us a story? is:
appropriate for ages 4+
educational and child-directed
interactive and immersive
very easy to learn
easy to pick up and put down
endlessly replayable
collaborative and great for deepening relationships
and a valuable resource for adults looking to become better storytellers
Available for purchase at:
In Portland (ME):
In Lewiston/Auburn (ME):
In Chelsea (MI):
In Santa Barbara (CA):
Available to be played at:
Want to read more about how tell us a story? is played?
Click here for more detailed information. If you’re looking for the rules, you can find them here! Email the creator, Josh Rubin, directly at rubinjd@gmail.com!
See and hear how we play it!
Check out this brief video, which explains tell us a story? and how our family likes to play.
Experience it for yourself, via Twine!
Twine is an interactive digital storytelling platform. Try this little Twine “game” to get a glimpse of what tell us a story? can feel like as an interactive storytelling experience. (This is a FREE web-based preview. It requires NO downloading!)
If you believe in the power of imaginative stories to spark creativity through wide-eyed wonder, tell us a story? will be a great activity for you to share with kids in your life.
“It’s very interesting and magical, and it’s cool how the card you pick will change the story. It kinda won’t make sense but you can make it work! At the end, your story is something you wouldn’t ever think to make on your own.” - Isla, age 9
“My daughter (3 years old) and I had so much fun playing tell us a story?. It really brought her imagination to life. It was so entertaining to see what her little mind could create after being prompted by the unique scenarios. It’s a great game because you can play it countless times and have a new story each time you play.” - Allison, parent
“I want to give you an update on our most recent game of tell us a story?. Rather than it being just [my granddaughter] and myself it was played around the dinner table, after dinner, with [her parents, my spouse] and myself. I did put [my granddaughter] in charge of the deck - both deciding when to choose a new card and deciding to use it or choose another. It went wonderfully. [my granddaughter] was really into it as the game controller and as a very invested listener to the story. All of the adults got into their story teller roles and enjoyed it as a form of collective play with [my granddaughter].” - Mark, grandparent
“I like the story game.” - Izzie, age 7
“I liked it a lot. It was fun to play. I loved when a cheese weasel dug up from the ground and stole the cheese and I ran after it got the cheese and then I ate it, and the people that were asking me to get the cheese were mad at me because I ate it. That was one of my favorite parts.” - Seb, age 7
“I like it because it’s stories without bad guys.” - Levi, age 5
“I like telling stories with our game at the restaurant.” -Molly, age 4
“I like that it’s a story with my own characters like William my stuffy.” - also Molly, age 4
Have an experience with tell us a story? you’d like to share? Send word through the form below!
We are always adding testimonials, and we are also building an archive of the wonderful unexpected stories you’ve told!
