Learning and Teaching

Book Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate reading together as a family. Whether your child is just beginning to explore books or is already an enthusiastic independent reader, here are some simple ways to bring Book Week to life at home.

For Toddlers and Preschoolers

1. Interactive Storytime: Choose books with lift-the-flap features, textures, or sounds. For example, Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell or The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
2. Themed Dress-Up: Dress up as characters from their favourite books while reading. For example, wear a red cape and read Little Red Riding Hood, or make some bear ears to wear while you read The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland.
3. Storytelling with Puppets: Use hand puppets or stuffed animals to act out the story as you read. Books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. are great for this. You could also go on your own Bear Hunt after reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen.
4. Learning about Emotions: After reading Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey, make different faces together to show how Pig might be feeling — happy, grumpy, surprised, jealous or excited. Children can also draw simple faces on paper plates.

For Early Readers (Ages 5-8)

1. Book-Themed Crafts: After reading, do a craft related to the story. For instance, after reading The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, make a Gruffalo mask; or after reading The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton have them design their own crazy treehouse level. Give children a treehouse template or blank paper and have them invent a new storey — perhaps a chocolate room, dinosaur enclosure or giant waterslide. WeirDo by Anh Do could inspire a “My Weird and Wonderful Self” portrait; or Billie B Brown by Sally Rippin could encourage children to make a Billie-inspired friendship bracelet using beads, wool or coloured paper strips.
2. Reading Treasure Hunt: Create a treasure hunt where each clue is a line from a book they’ve read. They’ll need to read and understand the clues to find the treasure.
3. Story Writing and Illustrating: Encourage them to write a short story inspired by the book they read, and illustrate it. Books like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  or The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton can be great inspiration.

For Tweens (Ages 9-12)

1. Book Discussions: Read the same book as your child and discuss it. Books like Wonder by R. J. Palacio or Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan work well.
2. DIY Bookmarks: After reading, make personalised bookmarks based on their favourite characters or scenes from the book. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket would allow for some creative imagery.
3. Reading Bingo: Create a bingo card with different reading challenges, such as “Read a book with a female protagonist” or “Read under a tree.” This adds a fun twist to their reading routine. A book with a great female protagonist is Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend.

For Teens

1. Book-to-Movie Comparison: Read a book and then watch its movie adaptation. Compare the two and discuss what was different or why certain changes were made. Books like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or The Maze Runner by James Dashner are great for this.
2. Create a Book Soundtrack: After reading, create a playlist of songs that match the mood or events of the book. For example, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien can inspire some thoughtful music choices.
3. Book Club: Start a family or friends book club where everyone reads the same book and discusses it. Consider books like Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (better for older teens due to its themes of Holocaust, war and death).

These activities not only make reading fun but also help deepen understanding and foster a lifelong love of books!

Learning and Teaching