Tall Tales

Tall Tales

A tall tale is a story that
claims to explain the reason
for some natural phenomenon,
or sometimes illustrates how
skilled, intelligent, or powerful
the subject of the tale was. In
either case, the tall tale is
fictional, and usually obviously so.
Very often, the tall tale is told in a
manner that is intentionally ridiculous.

Here is a Tall Tale activity for children! It encourages them to use their imagination, helps build listening skills, expands verbal skills, and stimulates creative thinking. (And, it's fun)!

What You Will Need:

• Empty Box
• Small Common Household Objects (see list below for ideas)

What You Do:

• Put interesting items into the box, then have children take turns selecting an item from the box and making up a story about the item.
• Continue selecting items and telling stories — the sillier or more mysterious the story, the more fun!

Variations:

• Tape record the stories so you can listen to them again! You could use a tape recorder or even record the stories directly to your computer using a microphone.
• Continue adding objects to the box, so your Tall Tale Box will always be ready for the next rainy day.

Here is a list of some items to get you started:

• Skeleton Key
• Old Eyeglasses or Sunglasses
• Pieces of Jewlery
• Bottle Cap
• Magnifying Glass
• Cork from a Wine Bottle
• Chopsticks
• Dried Bean (for example, a lima bean or other large bean)
• Feather
• Marble
• Short Piece of String
• Candy Wrapper
• Spring from a Ball Point Pen