Invent an alternative ending
Invent an alternative ending for a favorite story or movie by writing new scenes, drawing storyboards, and performing your revised conclusion aloud.
Step-by-step guide to invent an alternative ending for a favorite story or movie
Writing an alternative ending to a story
Step 1
Pick one favorite story or movie you want to invent a new ending for.
Step 2
Write one short sentence that describes the original ending.
Step 3
Decide whether your new ending will be happier funnier scarier or surprising.
Step 4
Quickly write three different ideas for how the ending could change on separate sticky notes or lines.
Step 5
Choose the idea you like best and mark it with a circle or star.
Step 6
Break your chosen idea into three scenes and write a one-sentence summary for each scene.
Step 7
Draw a simple three-panel storyboard showing the main action of each scene using pencil and stick figures.
Step 8
Write short character lines for each scene and one direction for movement or sound per scene.
Step 9
Add color labels or small drawings to your storyboard panels using your colouring materials.
Step 10
Make one small prop or costume piece from household items to use in your performance.
Step 11
Practice reading your script aloud and acting out the scenes once.
Step 12
Perform your revised ending for a family member or for your stuffed animals.
Step 13
Ask your audience one question about what they liked and write down their answer.
Step 14
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have sticky notes, three-panel paper, or special colouring materials?
Tear regular printer paper into three small pieces for your quick-idea notes, fold one sheet into thirds to make the three-panel storyboard, and substitute crayons, felt-tip pens, magazine cutouts, or colored pencil shavings glued on for colouring materials.
What should we do if the child gets stuck breaking the chosen idea into three scenes or struggles with the storyboard drawings?
Help them label the beats as 'beginning, middle, end,' act each beat quickly with stuffed animals to discover the main actions, then write one short sentence under each blank panel instead of detailed drawings if needed.
How can this activity be adapted for younger or older children?
For preschoolers, simplify to two scenes with a parent writing the sentences and a single prop, for elementary kids follow all steps with stick-figure drawings, and for teens add longer scenes, richer dialogue, camera filming, or editing before sharing on DIY.org.
How can we enhance or personalize the revised ending beyond the basic performance?
Add homemade sound effects or simple costumes made from household items, create a poster or title card, film the performance on a phone and trim clips to make a short movie to upload to DIY.org, and ask your audience the written question from the instructions before posting.
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Facts about storytelling and creative writing for kids
🖋️ Fan fiction began in the 1960s when Star Trek fans shared new stories about their favorite characters long before the internet existed.
🎬 Disney studios helped popularize the modern storyboard in the 1930s as a way to plan animated films scene-by-scene.
✍️ A typical movie screenplay is about 90–120 pages long, and a good rule of thumb is one page ≈ one minute of screen time.
🎨 Storyboards are like a comic for filmmakers—quick panels show camera angles, action, and timing so everyone knows what to film.
🎭 Acting your new ending out is a favorite tool for directors and writers because performing scenes reveals what feels real and what needs changing.
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