create your own Book Activities it’s easy!

I love, love, love activities that expand our book experiences. We do it so often and enjoy it so much I thought I’d pass some tips along to you! While you’re reading this post think about which books you could expand on today. (Leave any ideas you come up with in the comments.) All the book links in this post are affiliate links.

Search activities for books you’re reading

If you put Book Title + Activities into your fav search engine you will likely come up with something. Sometimes it’s an author website (you can find some really cool stuff on author websites), sometimes it’s an activity that someone like me has posted on their site, sometimes it’s a coloring sheet. (PS Don’t forget about Pinterest for awesome book activity ideas!)

It is wonderful to find an activity that someone has already done. All you have to do is follow their lead.

Write down ideas

As soon as a possible activity idea pops into my head I write it down. Of course, it’s usually right smack dab in the middle of story time so I make a few quick notes to go back to later. The bonus is a piece of paper that makes a great bookmark!

While reading a series we just found (awesome series by the way) we came to the page where the main character lists all of her mystery solving tools. Now that is almost too easy! We gathered the supplies and Little M played Meg Mackintosh for the rest of the afternoon.

YOUR TURN! Do you have a favorite way to keep track of ideas that come to you?

Keep it super simple

Simple is my motto for most things… and book activities are no exception. Expanding on a book can be as simple as copying the scene from a page in your favorite picture book. You can use these masterpieces for gifts, cards or to hang on the wall next to your little reader’s bed.

We used a scene from Where the Wild Things Are to make a farewell poster for some neighbors who are moving.

YOUR TURN! Leave a comment sharing super simple ways you expand on books.

Tweak activities you already love

You already love the activity. You know the kids will be excited to do it again. (It’s easy to prep… because that is always the goal.) Why not try to tweak it enough to work with the book your reading?

For Halloween we made spiderweb pizzas (so cute right?), the kids had a blast doing it. When we were reading Charlotte’s Web the idea to use that activity in a new way hit me. Of course I wrote it down immediately. Hee hee. And that’s how Charlotte’s SpiderWeb Pizza came about.

YOUR TURN! Leave a comment sharing an activity you have tweaked to fit a book. (Or what you think might work now that you’ve read this great trick.)

10 Book Activities to get you started

1. “How Many Feet in the Bed” Counting Activity
2. Dr Seuss “There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!” Reading Activity
3. Literature “Corduroy”
4. Fingerprint Matching Game… “Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth”
5. Fairy Play and Book Review
6. Magic Tree House… Tree House
7. “Picky Mrs. Pickle” and Prickly Pears
8. Literature… It Looked Like Spilt Milk activity
9. “Edward the Emu”… Animal Charades
10. “My Friend Bear”… make a paper bag teddy

YOUR TURN! Leave a link you a book activity you’ve done.

What’s your next stop? I’ll tell you… 

• Visit Hands On: As We Grow for Lowercase Letter String Scavenger Hunt.
• Check out these other reading posts. Printable book report template & Inspiration at the Library.