Parents' Guide to

Story Dice

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire Paid Education
Story Dice Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Leslie Crenna By Leslie Crenna , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 7+

Symbol dice for telling stories, sweet and simple.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 7+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Story Dice App: Screenshot #1
  • Story Dice App: Screenshot #2
  • Story Dice App: Screenshot #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all
age 4+

Based on 1 parent review

Chenzo1099
Chenzo1099 Adult
June 1, 2013
age 4+

A "Must Have" App

I use Story Dice with my 2nd grade students in the classroom. I project it onto the screen. Students take turns "shaking" the dice to produce the day's story prompt. Whether it is a personal narrative, opinion, non-fiction, or even free-writing, the students are all smiles when it is a story dice day. I recommend this app to all of my colleagues! A "must have" for the classroom! I also believe that if your child is writing, he/she can use Story Dice before the recommended age of 7. This is good for any preschool child as well as elementary and above.
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

Users choose from one to ten dice to throw, tapping to roll. That's it. Most of the action is outside the app itself. The Help and Tips section has three full pages of game ideas like taking turns telling a story based on the symbol thrown, using the dice to play charades, or rolling dice to form a character for an improv skit.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

STORY DICE is good (period) especially for creative types who like to play with ideas and communication. Commonly recognized symbols appear on one to ten dice for instance a moustache, a sailboat, a four-leaf clover, a frog, sandwich bread, a high-heeled shoe, or an airplane. Specific game and story ideas on the Help and Tips page talk about stuff like creating stories, drafting poems, putting together skits, and crafting characters. In case you forget your dice in your other coat (I know I always do), Story Dice can be used at family game nights, on road trips, or during long air flights when a spark of creativity is all you need to make the journey part of the fun. Basic enough for toddlers and a great teaching tool for anyone.

The only downsides are that the shake-to-roll works inconsistently and sound rolling doesn't seem to work at all, plus the games aren't built in to the app itself, so kids aren't likely to play with it independently. Of course, once an adult introduces the possibilities, kids can take off with it. The app doesn't offer any rewards or encouragement either. Ideally, your kids will find satisfaction enough through the ideas and interaction sparked by each roll.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Plan a family game night with your kids and use Story Dice as one of many games.

  • Start a story with one die then ask your kids to tell the next part with their roll.

  • Challenge older kids to make their own story dice with new images.

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire
  • Subjects: Arts : acting, script writing, Language & Reading : discussion, presenting to others, speaking, storytelling, vocabulary, writing
  • Skills: Creativity : brainstorming, combining knowledge, imagination, producing new content, Collaboration : cooperation, group projects, respecting other viewpoints, teamwork, Communication : listening, multiple forms of expression, presenting, speaking
  • Pricing structure: Paid
  • Release date: November 8, 2012
  • Category: Education
  • Publisher: Thinkamingo
  • Version: iOS 1.4; Android 1.1
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 4.0 or later; Android 2.1 and up
  • Last updated: July 13, 2020

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended app lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate