Story starters

Age 6–8

• One morning, all the fruit in our kitchen started to dance.
• On the way to the park, we met a snail who was in a big hurry to get to a party.
• Grandpa's old hat had a secret pocket inside that could hold anything, even an elephant.
• Our car would only drive if everybody inside was singing.
• A fish in the pond jumped onto the grass and asked me to help it fly.
• After the rain, the puddle outside our door turned into a lake with a whale in it.

Age 9–11

• On our picnic, we found a map that led to the biggest pancake in the world.
• The library book I borrowed grew a new chapter every night, and tonight's chapter was about me.
• I woke up able to hear how my pets were feeling, and it turns out our cat is very, very grumpy.
• I planted a single seed in a cup, and by morning a staircase made of leaves led up into the clouds.
• After the rain, a puddle in our yard turned out to be a window into an underwater city.
• My cousin came back from a long trip with a box and said, "Don't open it until after dinner."

Age 12–14

• The day our school's robot caretaker learned to tell jokes, nobody got any work done.
• The car's navigation voice calmly said: "In 300 meters, turn left into the year 1925."
• During a storm, the river by our town started flowing backwards, and only our class knew why.
• On our river survey, we noticed the water flowed faster every time someone sang.
• Each of us cooked a dish from a different country for dinner, and the evening turned into an adventure.
• I had just finished writing a short story when the main character knocked on my door to change the ending.