Little Authors and Illustrators

Reading books with children is fabulous! From developing pre-reading skills to enjoying family time, books are wonderful tools. Creating books is terrific too, with kids as the authors and illustrators. Use imagination and creativity to add personally “published” books to your families library with these ideas.

• Have your child dictate a story to you.
• Read the story back to your child, page by page, adding details.
• Re-write the story, using multiple pages of paper.
• Provide art supplies to illustrate the story. Think creatively, such as using mixed media. Torn construction paper, watercolors, and finger paint are alternatives to crayons and colored pencils. Think outside the box…a piece of aluminum foil can be a mirror or a lake!
• Include the author and illustrator’s name on the title page and cover of the book.
• Consider laminating your child’s book. The work of art will last longer!
• Add the books to the Quiet Time bookshelf. Read more about quiet time for kids.
• If the stories are real-life experiences, label the book non-fiction. The tall-tales and made up stories are fiction.  This is a helpful way to assist kids in discerning reality from fantasy.
• Create and tell your own stories for your kids. Made-up tales are fun for children, especially when they can be the main characters. This is a great way to model story-telling and encourages kids to make up their own stories too.

The best part is the fun family time. Enjoy every minute, every word, every illustration, and every smile!

Want to encourage your kids to LOVE books? Check out this post to inspire your kids to read, Encouraging the JOY of Reading.

“Every child is an artist,
the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
Pablo Picasso

© 2024 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.

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Art courtesy of Eric Danielson