This post was contributed by Mary Catherine of Fun-A-Day!
Make a Homemade Book with Your Child!
I love homemade book making with children! The benefits of book making are many:
-
Children have ownership over the words and illustrations. This makes them more likely to read and reread the books.
-
I usually use repetitive text, which helps children as they are learning to read. They can predict what comes next, practice their sight words, and learn about letter sounds.
-
I can discuss the different parts of the homemade book as we’re making them together.
-
Since I can control the size of the text, it’s easier to show the children the difference between a letter and a word. Spaces are easier to illustrate this way, as well.
-
It’s just plain fun, which gets kids more excited about reading!
A Homemade Book About Nature
This week, Engineer and I took a nature walk. We brought my camera so we could take pictures along the way. Engineer already knows the rules regarding my camera, so we were both able to take some pictures on our walk. As we walked, we talked about what we saw outside. This led to a great discussion about plants, insects, and spring weather. It was so fun for me to hear his thoughts on what we were seeing, as well!
When we returned home, I loaded the pictures on the computer. Engineer and I sorted through the pictures, deleting the out of focus ones. Then he picked his favorites, and we worked together to make a homemade book. We decided to keep the text simple, since Engineer said he wanted some of his younger friends to be able to read it too.
Once the book was finished, we printed it out and stapled all of the pages together. We’ve had fun reading it together. He’s looking forward to reading it to some of the younger children I watch after preschool, as well!
More homemade book ideas:
Mary Catherine is mama to a budding engineer whose favorite question is “why?” She is a pre-k teacher with a background in teaching kindergarten and a passion for early literacy. Mary Catherine loves lazy days with her son, messy art projects, science fiction books, and dark chocolate. You can find her blogging at Fun-A-Day! Come connect with Mary Catherine on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
I LOVE this homemade book activity for early readers. It offers the opportunity for so many different types of learning; environmental science during the nature walk, photography, and literacy.
More Kids Activities from Fun-A-Day!
Have you and your little one ever made a homemade book together? If so, what was it about?
If you like this, get lots more by signing up to get B-Inspired Weekly right in your inbox. And follow B-Inspired Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest!
I love to link up with: Contest Corner, Made by Me Monday, Made by Little Hands Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, Frugal & Fabulous Giveaways, Tuesday Tots, Tip Me Tuesday, Get Your Craft on Tuesday, Made by Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty Wednesday, The Mommy Club Wednesdays, Your Creative Timeout, Artsy Corner Thursday, It’s Playtime Thursday, Thursday Giveaway Linky, The Weekly Creative,The Weekly Kids Co-op, Read Explore Learn Friday, For the Kids Friday, Kitchen Fun and Craft Friday, Bonggamom’s Friday Finds, Freebie Friday, Pin It Friday, Show & Share Saturday, Share it Saturday, Super Saturday Giveaway Link-up, The Sunday Showcase, The Sunday Parenting Party, Around the Blogosphere, Afterschool Express, and Link & Learn Sunday.
Amelia says
I love your nature book idea and can see so many other possibilities. Is there a special program you used to format the book above? Thanks!
Amy says
Great idea! I love the idea of making a book after a nature walk. I’ll have to try this!
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
I know – she always has the best projects!
Amy mayen says
Hi Krissy! Coming over to visit from Fun A Day! I just love M.C.!
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Thanks for stopping over! I know – isn’t she great?!
Faigie says
I love making books with kids. I’ve done it for years with their homemade pictures and their dictation, using photographs adds a new dimension