A Small Class with Big Ideas: Year 5’s Storytelling Game

During one of the days of our first week back at school, Year 5 began the year not with worksheets or lectures — but with a game. We created something playful, challenging, and ultimately, inspiring.

We started with a simple memory activity. Three cards were flipped over, face up, for everyone to see. After a moment, they were turned back down, and the challenge began: remember what was on them. Each round, more cards were added — always three at a time — and the students had to recall all the images they had seen before. The game demanded focus, patience, and memory skills, and it quickly became a fun test of how much we could hold in our minds.

But soon, we decided to take it further. Instead of just remembering the images, we began to use them as sparks for storytelling. Each player — student or teacher — would flip three cards and then invent a story that linked the images together. The next participant had to first repeat the story so far, recalling what the previous person had created, and then add to it with their own three cards.

The results were hilarious, imaginative, and inspiring. A single picture of a tree, a hat, or an animal suddenly became the starting point for adventures that grew with every turn. The stories wound together like a tapestry, built from memory, creativity, and collaboration.

By the end of the day, what began as a simple memory game had become so much more: a chance to practice focus, test recall, and then stretch our imaginations as we built a shared world of stories together.

The classroom was filled with laughter, invention, and excitement. It was the perfect reminder that at EISB, learning is not only about remembering — it’s about creating, connecting, and growing together.