Review: Storyteller’s Card Game

I am so excited to once again have the opportunity to review several games and hands-on learning products from Timberdoodle. Over the years they have become my go-to source for creative ways to stretch our brains in my quest for an ongoing learning lifestyle.

I have three reviews for you today to coincide with the release of Timberdoodle’s 2020-2021 Curriculum Kits. All three are new to the product line-up this year. I’ll be sharing a few more reviews in the weeks ahead.

First up is the Storyteller’s Card Game. And of course I have to get the obligatory disclosure out of the way before I can start talking about it: Timberdoodle sent it to me in exchange for my honest review. There ya go!

What’s Included

Essentially, Storyteller’s Card Game is a box of word cards. 300 words apparently. I didn’t count them, but that’s what the box said.

The words are divided into six categories: setting words, action words, character words, taste and smell words, emotion words, and weather words.

The word is listed on the card followed by a definition (including the part of speech) and then 3 words that could be paired with that word. If that’s all there was to it I can see where that would be super helpful for building vocabulary and enhancing creative writing.

But it’s a game so you know there is more to it than that! The other side of the cards have ridiculous pictures to illustrate the words.

The pictures aren’t necessary to the game but they do help reinforce the definitions in a silly way.

About a third of the cards in the box are “Words for…” cards (a.k.a. story cards) with a phrase to describe with your choice of the picture cards.

Game Play

That’s the object of the game. To match up a word from one of the six categories with the phrase in play.

The catch? You have to use one of the 10 cards in your hand. And guess what? They are not always a good fit!

Let’s say this was my hand. Which word would you choose as “As word for a nervous sidekick?”

Hmm… I’m going to go with “distressed,” so I’ll toss it in the middle for the Master Storyteller’s consideration.

Variations

Sound familiar? The game reminded us of one of our long-time favorites, Apples to Apples. To be honest, it really wouldn’t be hard to come up with a plethora of other word games using these same cards.

Oh, wait! You don’t even have to do that. Because Timberdoodle already thought of that! They include instructions for 3 other games you could play with this set in their 6th Grade Curriculum Kit Handbook.

Not only that, these cards are designed in such a way that they could easily be used for creative writing or oral storytelling. If you’re looking for a fun way to expand your kids’ vocabulary I highly recommend the Storyteller’s Card Game.