Homemade Books

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, books and reading are very important in a child's development. When children have books from the store or library it is always nice, but it is even more fun when they can make there own book. During "Read Across America" in March, I visited a kindergarten class and I read a book to the students. We then discussed the author and illustrator in the book and what role they have in making the book. I asked the students if they would like to be the author and illustrator of their very own book? They were very excited when I gave them the theme of the book "My Favorite Animals". I chose this theme because each student would be creating a page in the book and everyone seems to have a favorite animal. First I had the students draw a picture of their favorite animal, then they wrote a sentence stating what their favorite animal was. On the white board I wrote the words "favorite animal" for the kindergarteners to copy for their sentence. I then was the editor and cut out the animals, glued the pictures and sentences onto the pages, developed a cover, and bound the book together. The book was then read to the students and left in their book area for them to look at on their own. The students were very proud of the book that they made. This book was made as a class, but each child could also make their very own. Books are great and when they are homemade it makes them very special. So on the next rainy day or after/during a trip have your child make a book of their very own for an activity to do or keepsake of the trip.