Follow up activities for reading with young children

Welcome back!

Hope you have had a chance to try out the activity from my last blog post. It's not too late as you can always go back and reread the blog if you need a memory jogger. Send me a picture with a child engaging in the previous activity or today's activity, along with permission to post on my blog, and be in to win a prize for sharing.

One of the reasons I recommend and love follow up activities is because they provide so many benefits. I mentioned last time that incorporating an activity often helps to reinforce the story. In addition, a follow up activity can also help:

Serve as a verbal prompt to engage children in conversation. ( E.G. "Remember when you read that funny story about the silly goat?" Or "Remember when you painted your foot red?")

• Provide an opportunity to practice using new vocabulary that may have come about through the book or activity
• Allow children with varying abilities to participate at their level
• Allow children an opportunity to increase their tolerance of different textures

The next follow up activity I wish to share goes with my second book, Kate and Caboodle in a Splendidly Blended Tale. In the second book Kate and her animals are moving again. Goat drives a tractor and shall we say is less than careful. This seems to be a favourite page for most audiences. So the follow up activity is especially fun. Let's just call it. ....Foot Tractor

Materials needed:

• Blank piece of paper (paper from your recycle stock  is great)
• A bare foot child
• Red paint (I like to apply paint using a repurposed deodorant bottle. Just pop out the roller ball, add  paint, bit of liquid soap, bit of water, pop the ball back in place and voila.....easy painting with less tools to clean up)
• Clean up supplies
• Photo copy of the crazy goat driver from the book for glueing (or markers so kids could draw their own goat driver)
• Glue
• Paper and safety scissors for cutting tractor tires or pre cut circles

Foot Tractor Activity

• While child is seated, paint bottom of left foot and press onto paper. I suggest the left foot as it lines up better with the direction the goat is facing. Note that some children may respond better to the deep pressure of the roller paint as opposed to the light pressure from a brush, so good for those who are tactile defensive.
• Glue circles on tractor to represent tires
• Glue or draw crazy goat driver in the seat area of the foot print

Hints

• Some children may find foot painting tickling and actually painful and thus may not choose to participate. This is OK. They may need a buddy who will make a foot print portion for them. Just observing is OK too.
• Pre cut goat picture and pre cut circles for tires ensure that children with limited fine motor skills can still participate at their level.

Results:

• Lots of tickle induced giggles
• A pretty cool picture of their very own personalised foot tractor
• A great visual prompt to pair with the verbal prompt "remember when"
• Hopefully some good exchanges with caregivers at the end of the day and for weeks later

Happy reading, happy painting, happy smiles!

See ya next month. If you enjoy my blog, please do share and remember those pictures.

Thanks!

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