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I LOVE to read, but even I get a bit tired of reading the same book multiple times. But I adore that my kids want me to read with them and to them. Neither of them can read yet, but they love to look at the pictures and tell me their rendition of the story. Instead of reading the same book on repeat, consider taking a different twist and doing some crafts.
When my daughter and I sit down with a book, I love to hear my daughter try to sound out the words and create her own version of a story. One of her favorites is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. You may have read this one a bunch of times — so much so that you’re tired of even looking at it!
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It’s such a special time when a child wants you to spend time with you and a book. And, though it can drive us crazy, repetition of a book is great for little minds. Repetition helps with word recognition and sounds for future reading.
Instead of reading the book du jour, look at the pictures and use it for a craft! Books and crafts can go hand-in-hand, and doing a craft can offer a little extra fun for you and your children.
Keep reading for two fun, easy crafts! And you can do it all with things you probably have around your house!
Finger Painting The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The first craft my daughter and I did was a bit messy, but it was fun and is very versatile when making it your own. We used the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has always been one of my daughter’s favorites. She loves to count the different items he eats throughout the book. The colors are vibrant, and it’s not so long that you are out of breath by the end of reading it with your child/children. I like that it also incorporates the days of the week along with the counting.
All you need for the craft is a piece of paper, some paint, and a crayon or marker.
I let her dip her finger into the paint and press it onto paper, which made circle shapes for the body of the caterpillar and shapes of the different fruit he eats.
My daughter wanted to add a sun and some grass, too. We then used a crayon to add the stems on the fruit, legs, antennae, and a face to our caterpillar.
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Caterpillar Egg Carton
Another easy idea for a craft involves an egg carton and glue. I used to be a librarian, and this is a craft we would do with kids who visited.
Cut out the individual “cups” of an egg carton and and glue them together in a row. This is the body of the caterpillar. Then, stick googly eyes on the first cup and stick two pipe cleaners out of the top as antennae. Ta-da! It is a hungry caterpillar.
I hope your kids continue to ask you to read to them over and over and that you find more books and crafts to share together.
