The human mind is a marvelous machine able to find connections through creative thinking, a skill useful in problem-solving and understanding. Kids today often turn toward mono-directional screens with pre-processed information rather than being left to their own devices to learn through trial and error. While we often wish to do without error, the imagination is a great place to practice those trials and inspire learning. The Tell Me a Story series of creative story cards from eeBoo are fantastic family fun that allows kids to build mental connections and create whole worlds from just a snippet of inspiration.
Tell Me a Story continues eeBoo’s tradition of top-quality products. The beautiful artwork by illustrators such as Lizzy Rockwell and Melissa Sweet is kid-friendly, bringing to life animals, robots, and princesses alike. Cards are durable, though not recommended for kids under three who might be a little rough on them. Between story-times, the cards fit neatly into a drawer within the box that resists spilling even if it is knocked open, rather than just a lid.
The Tell Me a Story series comes in many forms, from the tropical Volcano Island to the temperate Animal Village and the science fiction of Lil Robot’s Mission. Among the most popular are the fantasy collections, Fairytale Mix-ups and Mystery in the Forest. With such a wide range, there is something to catch any child’s interest and imagination.
In each set, 36 unique cards may be assembled in any combination a child or adult likes. Instruction cards give recommendations on different modes of play, such as “Your Child Tells a Story” where the youngster picks out cards to develop a story, or “Tell Your Child a Story” to bring about original entertainment with social engagement rather than just watching a screen. Collaboration is encouraged in the “Silly Story Game” when each person draws a new card and adds a new character or plot twist to the growing epic tale.
The sets of cards often show recurring characters and vary in how much is going on with each card. Fairytale Mix-ups takes classic characters such as the troubled waif, the wicked witch, and the princess and shows them in various scenes that can be arranged in a story. Most of the cards in Fairytale Mix-ups are straightforward with a single character or setting, making them great for younger story-tellers.
Mystery in the Forest gives more connectedness with repeated settings, items, and characters, often showing characters from multiple cards interacting with one another. This allows for complex stories and even multiple plot-arcs if storytellers want to go so deep. If not, those repeated items may just be in the background. The cards empower storytelling, rather than restricting it.
Because the cards in all the sets come in the same size, parents and children may put different sets together, creating a never-before-seen story of robots, princesses, and animal circuses. Each set features a unique border and background, making it easy to separate them back into the original stacks, turning clean-up into a fun matching game. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination, and parents know well how limitless a child’s imagination can be.