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We Make Stories

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 6; suggested age 6.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Fun digital tools let kids practice storytelling skills.

On this site kids can:   be read to, create and share content, express themselves, make something, read stories

Why We Rated This on for Ages 6 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    A nice mix of prefab drag-and-drop writing, graphical and audio tools lets grade schoolers dabble in storytelling. There are a couple of more-challenging writing projects for older kids, too. 

  • User-created content:

    The handful of stories, comic strips, and pop-up cards on view so far in the site gallery are simple but cute.  There are no flagging tools on the site itself for reporting objectionable content, but kids who are emailed an iffy story can notify moderators by clicking on a report button.

  • Messages:

    Storytelling is not only fun, writers can express themselves in lots of different ways by using words, sounds, pictures, or all three. The site gives kids plenty of wholesome yarn-spinning tools to experiment with.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Cartoon bombs and cartoon boxing gloves. Batmanlike fighting words such as "Kapow!"

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    A profanity filter screens for potentially offensive words, leaving fart jokes at worst.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

How safe is it?

  • Personal privacy:

    Good overall. In general, kids don't have to divulge any private information, plus they can save their creations to a private "bookshelf" no one else can see. The other save option is a public gallery that can be viewed by anyone who visits the site; unfortunately, the site doesn't make the difference clear. Nor does it let users edit or remove their own creations once posted. However, moderators will consider deletion requests.

  • Online interaction:

    Not an issue.

  • Parental controls:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About We Make Stories

Parents need to know that this delightful story-creation site lets kids 6-11 make their own comic books, pop-up books, and treasure maps. The site is owned by Puffin Books, the children's paperback publisher of such classics as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The digital tools are superb and the content G-rated. The only drawback: the oodles of ink kids will need to print out their creations.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Discuss how storytelling has changed, from stories passed down verbally from one generation to the next to printed books to today’s digital media. Why is telling stories important and what advantage do books have over movies and vice versa?
  • Using the We Make Stories site's Comic Genius tool, create a comic strip about your family. Dress the characters, choose a background where you like to vacation such as the seashore, and write talk bubbles of things you say to each other. Read our tips on creating with digital media.
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