Do you have any creative ideas for making your own books with young kids?

[NanceXToo]

Like, for example, so far this year we've done the following:

 

Made "Texture Books"- we found all different textured materials and stapled, taped, or glued them into a folded cardstock booklet, so the kids could turn the pages and feel the different textures. My 9 y/o wrote her own adjectives for her textures, my 4 y/o described them to me and so on.

 

Made an "Our Backyard Nature Book"- we'd take pictures (or find pictures online after identifying them) of the various birds and wildlife that we saw in our own backyard- quite a few different kinds of birds, a groundhog, a rabbit, a mole, and things like that. I'd print the picture and tape it onto the folded cardstock pages, and then I'd look up information about that particular bird or animal online so I could compose a few interesting facts/sentences about it to include with the picture. When we spot a new creature, we add it to the book.

 

Made an "About Me" book- I did this one with my 4 y/o- I wrote in a few details like his name and age and weight and so on, and then we had different pages where he did things like drew his "self-portrait," there was a "Things I Like" page where we looked through magazines and he'd pick things he liked and we'd cut it out and glue it in, we put his handprint (using paint) on one page, we did a "my favorite color" page where he picked a color and we glued things of that color onto the page, and we did a "my family" page where we glued in pictures of his dad and sisters and I, things like that.

 

Made "Horn Books" - after my 9 y/o learned about colonial times, we made hornbooks, I put the alphabet on my 4 y/o's, and my 9 y/o copied a poem onto hers.

 

Made a "Day In The Life Of Photo Journal" book - I did this one with my 9 y/o. I let her take a bunch of pictures throughout the day (and some I took for her) and at the end of the day we printed different pictures that summed up what her day was like, from what she ate to where we went to what she did etc, and we put all the pictures in a small album with captions).

 

Made a "poetry booklet" - after doing a weekly summer poetry workshop last summer for my daughter and a couple of her friends, we put together a poetry booklet with all the poems the kids had written over the course of the workshop and distributed them to each kid.

 

Anyway we've enjoyed making those books, and the kids always enjoy looking back on them. Does anyone have any more ideas for "books" along those lines that we can make?

Edited July 1, 2010 by NanceXToo

[simka2]

Bumpo! :lurk5:

[Caroline]

I love the idea of making books. Here are some ideas popping into my head after reading your post:

 

One detailing the visit of your Fresh Air child

 

Photo recipe book--make several of your favorite foods and take pictures of each of the different steps

 

Color wheel-a different page for each color on the color wheel with a picture to go with (you could get very scientific and talk about wave lengths in it, too)

 

Family Tree book--I did this for my kids when they were little. It makes Great Aunt Helen so excited that my kids recognize her.

 

Our Country (or you could go smaller to town or neighborhood)--A fold up map in the front with different places numbered and pictures of the places in the book

 

Places we want to visit (or have visited)--Again you could do a fold up map in the beginning

[milovany]

See if Barb Shelton is still publishing her "Booklet Building Book" at http://www.homeschooloasis.com -- it's exactly what you are looking for.

[Chris in VA]

Day in THe Life books are fun. Have them practice their photojournalism skills, following you and maybe your husband (and each other) around.

 

I am thinking of making a H---'s Year book for the little one I sit--I will have pressed flowers for each season, gathered from the lake around which we walk every day, and then a page or two of photos of things we've done in that season. As I am planning on not sitting her next year, I was thinking it'd be a nice going away gift.

 

As a teacher, I'd do lots of class books. This would be for preschool, but you could make a phone book with pictures of each member of your family and their number, for/with your 4yo.

 

You could also reconstruct a classic like Very Hungry Caterpillar with your child as the Very Hungry Child and favorite foods. Could be quite cute.

[NanceXToo]

Those are great ideas! I'll definitely do the Fresh Air Fund one. I love the photo recipe book idea for my 9 y/o. And, Chris, I love the "Very Hungry Child" idea for my 4 y/o, that's so cute!

 

milovany, I will check out that link, thanks!

 

:)

[ChristusG]

We are in the process of making a bird book. We learn about a new bird each day, find a picture, put some facts in it. At the end DD will have a sort of field guide.