3. Once Upon a Holiday...

Storyworld: Christmas Tales

By John & Caitlin Matthews

Templar, 2011

$9.99, ages 9-12, 28 cards.

Pass out the cards of this kit and listen to the storytelling begin.

Here's just a sample of the fun adventures children will come up with:

Santa never saw the frost sprite sneaking around the chimney.

Oh no! The little hob has turned Santa into ice.

Hurry little birds. Go get Frosty the snowman.

Maybe Frosty can find Uncle Jolly and use that magic box to free Santa.

I just hope the Frost King hasn't taken him off to his castle!

With this enchanting tool kit, children are empowered to write a holiday story purely for joy and their delight.

They are presented with 28 illustrated cards to mold their ideas and it's up to them to piece them together however they wish.

Each card features a different character, from a frost king peering into a children's window to a pudding cookie running away with a fork and spoon.

On one side of the card, the character is painted into a scene with mischievous details. On the other are questions about the scene to spur ideas.

Combining the cards anyway they like, children create outlines of what is happening and let their imagination spontaneously fill in the rest.

I can't say enough about this fabulous series. It's especially a delight when children play it as a game.

Even kids who don't like to write begin spilling out ideas to each other and coming up with plot shifts that cause the others to giggle.

Once you buy one kit, you have to buy more, so your kids can combine themes and come up with sillier story lines and a doozy of a cliffhanger.