Books can be a great jumping off point for such fun family activities as pretend play. Children learn best by doing, and that includes such activities for preschoolers and slightly older kids as "acting out" stories from their books. While playing the story, children think more deeply about what they just heard or read. They may even recall certain words or phrases from stories and include them in the pretend play. Your child's imagination can turn the living room into the ocean floor and the kitchen into another planet.
What You Need
- A children's storybook
- A few props that go with the book (Example of family ideas: a toy dog, a leash and a washcloth for the book Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion)
Let's Go!
Read the story with your child. After finishing the book, ask your child to play out the story with you. Gather some props from around the house, and choose who will play each character. Start with one of the scenes at the beginning of the book, and then see if your child knows what happens next.
It is not really important to get the story exactly right. It's more important to have fun and think. So you may want to start with the parts of the story that your child likes best. Play more scenes if your child seems interested and is still having fun.