Make a Book

In this spirit of all things "book" lately like the local exhibition The Space Between, upcoming Literacy & Numeracy Week, the Book Fair and the launch of Learning that's Fun next week, I thought this week we should do something bookish! 

Make your own books! 

This is a fun activity you can do with the kids any time. You can make it as simple or complex as you like and just let loose with the imagination. Getting hands on creating your own books is a great way to get the kids involved in how books are put together, how they feel, look and what they can contain. 

An easy one that I like to go for is the A4 page book. I've done this a few times in tutoring and it was always a good formula at school for projects too. 

All you need is:

 Sheets white A4 paper

2 sheets coloured A4 paper

Stapler 

(or you could use needle & thread to stitch for effect)

Pens / Pencils / Paint / Glitter

(whatever you like to add colour and beauty)

Write a draft of your story, then using their best handwriting get the kids to write out the plot and add some beautiful illustrations. 

Then comes the best part. Sharing your story! Read it to the family. Perform it as a play. Give it as a gift to your Nan. 

If your kids are a bit younger you might like to try something more simple with easy to read words and pictures.

Cut an A4 sheet in half long ways. Then fold it into 4. 

Write simple words on each section and they can draw the pictures. 

You could write favourite things, family names, places, numbers / counting...anything really. 

And if they are a bit older and past making up stories you could try a Family Journal or a Message Book! 

Pick a nice notebook or make your own from recycled paper or coloured paper. (use the A4 idea above).

Family Journal - each day every member of the family writes a journal entry. Write the day / date, what happened that day, what they enjoyed, how they felt, anything. This will get them practicing their handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation...and will be a beautiful momento in years to come.

Message Book - take it in turns to write messages to each other. Give another family member a compliment, tell them something you love about them, or something you would like to do with them on the weekend, ask a question, whatever you like. Again, practicing the literacy skills, and adding some extra love. Everybody loves a bit of love. My Mum always used to tell us "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". 

I loved making books as a kid. Cinderella was my favourite that I wrote at my Nanna's. I think she still has it. I wrote one on Medieval Life, I wrote another on Ancient Greece just using school exercise books. Diaries, journals of poetry...if I had a book I had to fill it! All those empty pages needed something on them. 

But don't think about this is a reading & writing exercise...it's art & craft at it's best. Learning that's Fun!