This page contains fun activities to do after reading a story.  Relating books to real life and showing that reading can be fun will enhance the pleasure your child will receive from reading.  This may also assist reluctant readers to pick up a book a little more often.  Parental encouragement to read a book instead of watching TV or playing video games is very important when raising a child to enjoy reading.  Being involved in their reading and showing your child that you are interested in their learning will only add additional encouragement to read books.  Allow your child to choose a book they find interesting and help them with a fun activity that relates to the book.  The following books have related activities that correspond with the book and to help you get started in coming up with your own activities. The activities can be modified for different ages and abilities.  Children with good writing skills can write new endings or add to the story line.  If your child is struggling with their writing abilities, encourage them to label their picture or write one sentence to sum up what their picture represents.  These activities will also help your child learn to connect reading with every day life.  As you look through the activities, keep in mind that not all the activities will be appropriate for your child. These activities work well with almost any story: 1. Pantomime a scene or character. 2. Record the story on tape with you and your child reading.  Try to add sound effects. 3. Retell the story from the point of view of another character. 4. Draw a picture depicting the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

 

Julius, The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes Make a Lavender Picture Materials:  lavender paper and pastel chalk OR  lavender chalk and manilla paper, and hair spray Procedure:  Once you have read this book with your child, go back and look at the illustration.  Point out the color lavender and have your child find the color in each of the illustrations.  Let your child choice between drawing a picture of their choice on the lavender paper using the pastel chalk or drawing a picture on the manilla paper using lavender chalk.  Once their drawing is completed, spray with hair spray to set the chalk. Draw a Self Portrait Materials:  construction paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils Procedure:  Draw self portrait dressed up on one of the many "Lilly disguises" or draw a new disguise that was not in the book.  Write a sentence on why you chose that disguise.

 
 

Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes Make Lilly Sandwiches Materials: plate, knife, napkin, cookie cutter, bread, peanut butter, jelly, optional- apples, oranges, strawberries, raisins Procedure: Allow your child to make a sandwich and to decorate it with the pieces of fruit if they so desired. How to Make a New Friend Write a short story on what you would do to make a new friend if you moved to a new house.  Think about things you would say or activities you find fun.  What about hobbies?  If writing is difficult, draw a series of pictures (like a cartoon strip) to show yourself making a new friend.  You could have the first picture of you shaking hands with a new person.  The next picture could be you showing the person something you like to do or your favorite hobby.  End with you and your new friend doing your favorite activity or the activity of your friend.

 
 

Koala Lou by Mem Fox Choral Reading Read the book all the way through with your child.  Read the story a second time and have your child read the Koala Lou, I love you.  Discuss in advance a signal you might use to cue your child to say their part if necessary. What animals live in Australia? Materials:  book on Australian animals, paper, colored pencils Procedure:  Look through a book about Australia and pick out the animals from the story.  Learn a couple of facts about each animal.  Draw a picture of one of the animals and write a couple of facts about that animal. A new ending Materials:  paper, crayons, markers, pencil Procedure: Discuss what might happen if Koala Lou would have won the gum tree contest.  Draw the illustrations to go along with your new ending.  Write a sentence or a few words to document the new ending.

 
 

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco Bake a Thunder Cake The book has a recipe for making a thunder cake. Your child can help mix and frost the cake.  Be sure to talk about each step as you perform it.  For example, tell your child how much of each ingredients you are adding.  Show them the measuring cups and spoons while you explain how to measure.  Let them try. Hide and Boom! This is a hide and seek game.  Everybody except the child who is chosen to hide, closes their eyes and counts to 20 by saying 1 boom, 2 boom, 3 boom, etc.  While the other children are counting, the hider finds a place to hide.  Once the counters have reached 20, yell KABOOM!  This  signals the hidden child that the children are coming to find him or her.  If you have a lot of children, choose 3 or 4 to look for the hidden child.  The one who finds the hidden child gets to hide. If children are waiting for their turn to play, have them clap their hands and quietly simulate thunder.

 
 

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Make a College of the Nursery Fairy Materials:  scraps of satin, velvet, aluminum foil, gift wrap, ribbon, glitter, sequins, glue, scissors, and construction paper Procedure:  Ask questions to get your child thinking about what the nursery fairy might look like.  What do you think the nursery fairy looks like?  Is the fairy a boy or a girl?  Does the fairy have wings or a wand?  After the discussion, give your child a variety of materials to make the nursery fairy.  The above materials are just suggestions add what ever scraps you have laying around. Make Puppets Have your child draw pictures of the animals and cut them out.  Glue a popsicle stick to the back.  As you read the story again, your child pick up the puppet and act out the scene for that puppet. My ___________ is real! Write a short story about a toy you have that has become real.  Imagine what your toy would say and do.  How would you interact with the now real toy?  You could let your child illustrate the concept instead of writing a story.

 
 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Decorate Cupcakes Materials:  cupcakes, canned frosting, raisins, sprinkles, candies, spatula, napkins, drink Procedure:  Remind your child of the scene in the story when Alexander's mother forgot to put dessert in his lunch bag.  Go back and look at the picture if you would like.  Decorate a cupcake in the manner you think Alexander would like. Pack a Nutritious Lunch Materials:  brown lunch bag, crayons, paper, scissors OR grocery store ads Procedure:  Have your child draw and cut out food items for a nutritious lunch and place in the paper bag.  If your child has difficulty or does not like to draw, allow them to cut pictures from grocery store ads to place in their bag.  Remind your child to write their name on the front of the bag. An Picture of Opposites Materials:  crayons, colored pencils, paper Procedure:  Fold the paper in half.  On one side draw a picture representing a bad day you may have had or imagined.  On the other side draw a picture to represent a good day you have had or imagined.

 
 

The Empty Lot by Dale H Fife Remember the Animals and Bugs Materials:  crayons, paper Procedure:  Before you read the story to your child, tell them to listen for the different animals and insects that are in the story.  Try to remember as many as you can.  After you have finished reading the story, have your child draw pictures of the animals and bugs they can remember.  If you child is working on writing and sound spelling, have them use colored pencils and write the names of the animals and bugs.  Read the story again and see how many your child was able to remember.  If you would like they can add the missing animals and bugs to their paper. Peeking Picture Materials:  paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, scissors, stapler Procedure:  Show the illustration of Harry peeking through the leaves at the three baby sparrows.  Draw a nature picture.  Choose a small area of the picture to cover.  Make a peek hole cover to place over the selected part of the picture you want to cover.  To make the flap, cut out a circle, square, or other shape from a piece of construction paper.  Place the flap over the area to be covered and staple to the picture.  If you would like make two or three flaps to cover your picture. Classifying Activity Materials:  paper, marker Procedure:  Divide a large sheet of paper into three columns.  Label the columns plant, insect, and animal.  List all the living things and how many of each mentioned in the book.  Refer back to the book for this activity.  If you like, add up the total number of living things you found in the story. Lot for Sale Ad Pretend Harry still wants to sell the vacant lot.  Dictate or write a letter asking Harry not to sell the lot. Be sure to give lots of reasons for not selling the lot.  You could also pretend that you would like to buy the vacant lot from Harry and tell him all the wonderful reasons you have for buying the lot.

 
 

The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry Leaf Collage Materials:  lots of various shades of green construction paper or other types of paper in a shade of green, other colors of construction paper, scissors, chalk, crayons, markers, scissors, glue Procedure:  After reading the story, look at the illustrations and point out the many shades of green leaves and how they are outlined in white.  Look at how the insects and animals sit on top of the leaves.  Have your child trace the leaves with his or her finger to explore the different shapes of the leaves.  Have your child describes the different patterns they see on the pages.  After exploring the pictures, draw and cut out different sizes and shapes of leaves.  Try and draw the leaves free hand since this is a collage and you do not want the leaves to be exact.  Refer back to the book if needed.  Draw in the veins and outline the leaves with the chalk.  Cover the paper with the leaves.  Add cut outs of flowers and animals to the collage.  Have them sit on top of the leaves, so that the greenery is the background. Whispering Masks Materials:  construction paper, markers, scissors, stapler Procedure:  Make a mask of your favorite animal or insect who whispered into the wood chopper's ear.  Cut the construction paper into a circle to cover your child's face.  Mark where the eye holes need to be and cut them out.  Have your child decorate the mask so that it resembles a character from the story.  Take a strip of construction paper and wrap around their head; cut to fit.  Staple the strip of construction paper to the mask so they can wear it during the reading of the story.  Practice whispering the lines of the character.  Reread the story and let your child whisper the part.  If your child does not want to wear a mask, make a puppet instead by attaching a popsicle stick to the back of the mask.  Encourage your child to whisper other parts from the book. What is a Kapok Tree? Materials: 2 sheets of  paper, crayons, pencil Procedure: Make a list of all the facts about the Kapok tree.  The author gives some info in the note.  Reread the book for additional facts.  If possible, look up the tree on the internet or other book.  Record all the facts on a piece of paper.  As you write them down, read them aloud for your child.  Once you have gathered the facts, read them again from start to finish running your finger under each of the words.  Have your child draw a picture of the Kapok tree and write two or three facts about the tree they wish to remember.

 
 

Farewell to Shady Glen by Bill Peet A Picture of Opposites Materials: sheet of paper, crayons Procedure:  Fold the paper in half.  On one side draw a picture of polluted land and on the other side draw a picture of pristine land that has not been polluted My New Home Materials: Paper, crayons, pencil Procedure:  Choose an animal from the story.  Draw a picture of that animal and what they liked most about their new home.  You could also have your child draw the picture and write a few sentences on what the animal liked most about its new home.

 
 

The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer The ________ Room Picture Materials: paper, crayons Procedure:  Fold the paper in half/  Choose an animal you would like to keep in your room.  Draw your room as it is now on the first half of the paper.  On the second half draw your room including the changes that the animal would need to live in your room Camouflage Picture Materials: paper, crayons Procedure:  Look at the illustrations and talk to your child about how the salamander was hidden under the leaves using the word camouflage.  Be sure your child understands the meaning of the word camouflage.  Try to think of other animals or insects that use the camouflage technique such as the chameleon, polar bear, stick bug, etc.  Draw a forest scene and hide an animal in the picture.  Show the picture to some one and see if they can spot what you hid in the picture.

 
 

The Fish Who Could Wish by John Bush and Korky Paul An Unexpected Picture Materials: paper, crayons Procedure:  After reading the story, talk about all the funny and unexpected things that happened in the story.  On a piece of paper write " I would never expect to see....  Draw a picture and include something you would not normally see in the picture.  For example, a person using a tennis racket to play golf with instead of a golf club, a dog climbing a tree. What Doesn't Belong Picture Draw a picture of an event or place and include an item that doesn't belong. For example,  draw a picture of dad going to the office carrying a purse instead of a brief case.   See if someone can guess what is in your picture that doesn't belong. Rhyming Wish Make a wish and write it down as a rhyme.

 
 

Ibis: A True Whale Story  by John Himmelman Half and Half Picture Look at the illustrations in the book and talk about how the illustrations are drawn.  Particularly the boat and whale.  Have your child look at how part of the whale is above the water and half below.  Look at several of the examples.  Draw a picture of a whale or fishing boat with part of the whale or boat above the water line and part below the water line.  If your child finds this difficult, draw the water line for them to help with their visualization.

 
 

Hot Fudge by James Howe A Picture of Contrasts Fold a sheet of paper in half.  Draw a picture on one side of what your pet does when you are home.  On the other side draw a picture of what you image your pet does when you are not home. Make Fudge Here is an easy to make fudge recipe or use your own recipe 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, if desired 1 teaspoon vanilla Butter a square pan, 8x8x2 inches.  Heat milk, chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in nuts and vanilla.  Spread in pan.  Refrigerate until firm.  Cut into 1 inch pieces.

 
 

Rainbow Crow retold by Nancy Van Laan Before and After Picture Fold a piece of paper in half.  On the first half draw rainbow crow before he brought fire to earth.  On the second half of the paper draw rainbow crow after he brought fire to earth.

 
 
 

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush retold by Tomie dePaola Buckskin Painting Materials:  brown paper bag, scissors, tempura paints, brushes  OR markers Procedure:  After reading the book, go back and look at the buckskin paintings and discuss them with your child.  Cut open the paper bag and cut out an irregular shape to resemble a piece of leather.  Wad the paper into a ball and then smooth it back out.  Do this three or four times until the paper becomes soft.  Smooth out the paper and them paint or draw a scene Little Gopher may have seen.  Remember, Little Gopher lived in the hills and meadows of Texas and Wyoming. Plant Wildflowers You can usually buy a canister of wildflower seeds at K-Mart or WalMart.  After planting the seeds, make observations and notes concerning the plants growth.  Remember to record when the plants were last watered.  You can keep a journal of their growth by drawing pictures and counting how many days it took for the flowers to emerge from the ground, grow tall, flower, and go to seed. Picture Story Write a short story with pictures.  On a sheet of paper, draw pictures that represents the elements of your story.  On the back of the paper, write out the story.  See if someone can correctly read your picture story.

 
 

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema Animal Collage Materials:  construction paper, scissors, glue, markers Procedure:  Demonstrate how to cut out grass to your child.  Using the green and brown construction paper, cut long and short blades of grass.  Leave the blades of grass attached to the paper by not cutting all the way down the construction paper.  When finished, glue the strip left at the bottom of the grass to a large sheet of paper.  Do not glue the blades of grass down to the paper.  Put the glue only on the straight strip, so that the blades of grass are loose.  Draw some animals and cut them out.  Glue the animals among the blades of grass.

 
 

One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian Circle Story Draw a large circle onto a piece of paper.  Divide the circle into 10 equal parts.  Draw and label each scene of the book.  The first part of the circle label Fox's tail and illustrate, 2nd part label cow and illustrate, 3rd part label grass and illustrate continue until all twelve parts are labeled.  Once the circle is finished, have your child retell the story using the circle. Point out to your child that the story ends where it began.

 
 

Nate the Great by Margorie Weinman Sharmat After reading this book, make sure your child understands what a mystery is.  Explain how a mystery can be a surprise waiting to be solved. You may want to review what the mystery was and how Nate solved it. Mystery Color Picture Materials:  paper, primary paint colors such as red, blue, and yellow, bowls, paint brush Procedure:  Paint pictures of your choice using one of the colors.  Do not mix the colors on any one picture.  For example, paint a red circle. Before the paint dries, paint over the picture with another color of paint.  The sequence would be to paint a red circle then paint over the red circle with blue paint to get a purple circle.  Try this with other primary colors to see what the mystery color will be. Make Pancakes Your child can help with the mixing and stirring of the pancake batter.  Let them observe how they cook.  Point out all the little holes that develop as the batter cooks. Picture Clues Hide an item.  Draw clues to direct the detective to the hidden item.  You can also make written clues for older children. Lost and Found Ad Write a lost and found ad for Annie's picture.  Try and describe the picture and include when and where it was last scene.  Try and write the ad using as few words as possible, while still making sense.

 
 

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg An Ants Point of View Picture Cut out two small circles from black or brown construction paper to represent the ants.  Place these small circles on or next to different items such as a cup, pencil, your hand, leaf, etc.  Look at how small the ants are compared to the item.  Glue the ants onto a piece of construction paper and draw a scene around the ants.  Try to keep their size in mind. Sugar Observations Materials:  white sugar, brown sugar, black construction paper, white construction paper, magnifying glass, 2 glasses of water, spoon Procedure:  Sprinkle a little bit of white sugar onto the black construction paper.  Let your child examine the sugar through a magnifying glass.  Place a teaspoon or two of the white sugar into a glass of water.  Watch it float to the bottom of the glass.  Why do you think the sugar sank to the bottom?  Because the sugar is heavier than the water.  Stir the water and watch it become cloudy.  Why did the water become cloudy? ( To better observe the cloudy water, hold the glass up to the light.)  The water became cloudy because the sugar granules were broken into smaller pieces and are suspended in the liquid.  The sugar is now all through the water instead of just laying on the bottom of the glass. Set the other glass of water without any sugar in it beside the sugar water so your child can observe the difference.  Repeat with the brown sugar.  The only difference in the above steps is to place the brown sugar onto the white construction paper. Ask your child if he or she thinks the same thing will happen with the brown sugar.

 
 

Anatole by Eve Titus Cheese Tasting Materials:  several different types of cheese, chart labeled Yummy, OK, Yuk Procedure:  Each person taste the cheese and check the column that describes what they thought of the cheese.  If their are several people doing the taste test, graph the results. New Ending Write or draw a picture depicting how you think the story would end if Anatole had identified himself.

 
 

Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet Big in Small Picture Draw a large picture that fills almost the entire piece of paper.  Leave a small rectangular shape blank on the paper to glue the small picture onto. Use markers to draw the large picture.  Next cut out a small rectangular piece of paper to fit into the blank shape of the large piece of paper.  Draw the same scene onto the small piece of paper using colored pencils.  Glue the small picture onto the large picture. Make a Blueberry Pie To make a pie quickly and easier for your child to participate use a refrigerated crust and canned blueberries.  Your child can place the crust into the pie pan and help add the ingredients. Contrasting Bruce Picture Fold the paper in half.  On one side draw a scene with Big Bruce and on the other side draw a scene of Little Bruce

 
 

The King who Rained by Fred Gwynne A book of homonyms A Literal Picture Think of  some sayings or use some from the book. Some popular sayings are its raining cats and dogs, growing like a weed, elbow grease, etc. Draw a literal picturing depicting the saying.  On another piece of paper, write the saying and staple on top of the picture so that you can read the saying and then see the picture.  If you like you can write the saying on the back and see if anyone can guess the saying that you drew.

 

KayDee@KayDeesplace.com

 

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