10 Ways to Bring a Book to Life

We love books in our house.

We love to read them, look at the pictures, listen to them, and many times fall asleep with them.

We also love to do crafts and activities based on some of our favorite books.

Here are 10 fun ways to have fun with books!

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1. Use props. You can use dolls or stuffed animals to help you tell a story. Story boards and flannel boards are also popular props for story telling. Check out this story board example from Rockabye Butterfly for the book Going On a Bear Hunt.

2. Do an art project in the style of the illustrator. There is such beautiful art work in picture books. Get lost in the art work and try to create your own illustrations. We tried to emulate the artwork in the book The Little House.

3. Dress up like a character and act out the book.

4. Use dramatic voices when reading aloud. Don’t be shy! Give that monster a deep, gruff voice or the mouse a squeaky voice. Your kids will love it!

5. Get crafty! Do a craft project based on one of your favorite books. We made paper princesses based on the book The Paper Princess and also collages based on the book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

6. Have a theme day. Do crafts, activities and even have snacks that relate to a specific book. Mommy and Me Book Club is full of ideas that can be incorporated into a theme day. One of my favorites is their recent post about the book The Three Little Kittens.

7. Make up a new story with your favorite book characters. What kind of adventures did Little Red Riding Hood have when she went to town, instead of to her Grandmother’s house? Or, tell about the adventures Mary and Laura may have had on a picnic out on the prairie. Let your imagination run wild.

8. Use puppets to tell the story. Make Do & Friend shows you how to make adorable Three Little Pigs Puppets. They’d be perfect for storytelling!

9. Play! Creative Connections for Kids read the book Little Blue Truck and made masking tape roads to play with. What a fun way to interact with a book!

10. Have a meal or a snack based on a book. Green Eggs and Ham is always a popular choice. Annie’s Eats made green deviled eggs and ham sliders to celebrate the book.

*Bonus Activity: Go to a story time. Most local libraries offer a story time each week and some even offer an evening story time. Go, discover new books, and enjoy!

What do you like to do to bring a book to life?