Storytime-Inspired Indoor Kids’ Activities

Did you know May is Get Caught Reading Month?

Reading to and with your child is one of the best activities for developing their literacy skills and strengthening their bond with you. Every book you crack open together brings them closer to gaining essential skills such as vocabulary, sequencing, and storytelling, which will support them in future academics as well as in their day-to-day life.

 

With more and more parents searching for indoor activities for kids, we’ve decided to scour the web for the best ways to stretch a story into a fun and fundamentally educational playtime! These storybook-inspired activities will help your child retell and engage with their favorite stories, and, most importantly, keep them learning and having tons of fun!

 

How to Level Up Storytime for Your Kid

You may have taken your child to hear professional storytellers before, at a library, bookstore, or special event. You can just as easily give your child the experience of a professional storytime at home with these easy tips!

 

Pausing to ask kids questions about the story is just one of the ways professional storytellers encourage participation. There are three types of questions you can ask kids about the story to engage different higher-level thinking skills.

 

There are prediction questions, where you ask your child what they think will happen next before turning the page, retelling questions where you ask your child to recap events that have happened in the story so far, and engagement questions, where you encourage your child to think from the point of view of the characters and engage with the story. Engagement questions can include, “Why do you think they did that?”, “What would you have done if that happened to you?”, “How do you think that character felt when that happened?”, and so on.

 

Kids also learn a lot from joining in with repetitive parts of the story. Most young children’s storybooks allow for this with a repeating refrain like, “We’re going on a bear hunt! We’re gonna catch a big one!” or “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!”. Encourage lots of participation from your child when these refrains come up!

 

 

Make Truffula Trees with The Lorax

The Book: The Lorax is Dr. Seuss’s classic masterpiece about conservation and protecting nature. It teaches kids their responsibility to the earth as global citizens in a colorful and memorable way and is available for purchase here.

 

The Activity: Craft your very own precious truffula trees with your child to drive home the message of this heartwarming book. All you need are some decorative straws, cotton balls, and watercolors. Get the instructions from Fun a Day here.

 

Identify Colors with Pete the Cat

The Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is the story of a charming black cat with white shoes who steps in things that turn his shoes all different colors! Pete the Cat helps kids understand colors in an entertaining and engaging way. You can find the book here.

 

The Activity: These printable cards quiz kids about colors using Pete’s shoes as an example. Kids learning to identify colors will love playing this game. Get the printouts and instructions from Pre Kinders, here.

 

Learn About Food with The Tiny Seed

The Book: The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle, describes the life cycle of a flower in a way that is both beautiful and easy for kids to understand. Find this entrancing little storybook here.

 

The Activity: Teaching your kids the life cycle of plants ties in really well with teaching them where their food comes from. Understanding the origins of food helps your child to learn about sustainability and their responsibilities as global citizens. Check out this fun activity from Teach Beside Me which helps kids identify seeds in their favorite plant-based foods, right here.

 

Make Story Stones with Brown Bear, Brown Bear

The Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a classic collaboration between author Bill Martin and illustrator Eric Carle which takes kids on a journey with the many animals of the forest. It has a singsong text that encourages kids’ participation and fascinating collage illustrations. You can purchase it here.

 

The Activity: You can practice re-telling the story with your child using these colorful and enchanting story stones, which are easily made with printable decorations from Preschool Inspirations. Find out how to re-enact Brown Bear, Brown Bear with story stones here.

 

Craft a Rainbow Fish

The Book: This story of a uniquely-colored fish dazzles kids with its foil-stamped illustrations, but ultimately drives home a message about the value of sharing your gifts with others. Learn more about and/or purchase this book here.

 

The Activity: Kids will love creating their own uniquely colored Rainbow Fish using just paper plates and some decorative know-how. Learn how to craft your own Rainbow Fish with instructions from A Little Pinch of Perfect, here.

 

Learn Sequencing with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

The Book: This funny and fantastical story by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond is a standby because it teaches kids the concept of cause and effect in a unique and memorable way. It’s available here.

 

The Activity: Practice putting events in sequential order and exploring cause and effect with your child using this easy printable activity from Homeschool Preschool. Check it out here.

 

Snacktime with Going on a Bear Hunt

The Book: This beloved classic by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury has been loved by kids for over 30 years! Following a family on their imaginative journey, this story teaches kids about different action words and prepositions without them even realizing it! Learn more and/or purchase the book here.

 

The Activity: With a little cream cheese, some graham crackers, and simple instructions from Pre-K Pages, you and your kid can create a delicious snack in minutes that encapsulates the themes and events of We’re Going on A Bear Hunt. Nothing incentivizes reading like themed snacks! Figure out how to make them here.

 

 

We hope these suggestions and ideas will help you take storytelling with your child to the next level! For more indoor learning activities that are fun and engaging to boot, keep following The Quarantine Queen on the Wondrfly Blog. Looking for online and/or Jersey City-based activities to keep your kids busy? Head down to Wondrfly to search our extensive list of providers for the perfect activities for your child.

 

This article is part of a series of articles on indoor activities for kids. To read about taking your child on an indoor camping adventure, click here. To learn about fun indoor scavenger hunt activities for your child click here!