If you’re looking for an interactive activity that’s educational, you should also make sure that it’s a lot of fun in the process. A good idea is to encourage your students to write their own class storybook, and do it online for free! Here’s how you can make the most of this activity:
Work in Pairs or Groups of Three (or More)
Have your class work in pairs or groups of three to create the design and storylines for each page. Together, kids can take turns in coming up with their own characters, bounce ideas off of each other, and learn collaborative work.
Aside from coming up with an interesting storyline, the kids will also get to practice cooperation in the simplest way possible and how it is like to work with a partner or a small group. This teaches them the value of teamwork and how to work and communicate with other people to achieve a common goal. In this case, it is their story’s pages.
Fill in the Blanks
Let the kids run the show and create a story with their own words. Class books are usually guided with fill-in-the-blanks story pages so kids can choose the appropriate word to fit the sentence. This not only enhances their vocabulary in a fun way, but also encourages them to express their ideas in a creative and collaborative manner.
Allowing them to do such activity will give them the freedom to show their creative side and make them proud of the work that they do. It’s a great way for them to express themselves in a fun and creative manner.
Draw a Self-Portrait for the Author’s Page
Lastly, close the activity by creating an author’s page. Ask the kids to draw a self-portrait with their story page. If you want to make this an even more interesting part of the activity, provide them with a gist of the activity and background of the story.
You can assign a page (or pages) to each kid or group of kids and have them come up with costume ideas that their self-portrait would wear — be it a doctor, a chef, or even a superhero. This helps increase creativity levels and doubles the fun. Best of all, these can be printed for the parents as well, so they can have a copy of it at home. It is something fun to look back to when the kids are bigger or anytime the parents wish to do something similar.
With the many options for class activities, writing a storybook proves to be one of the best ways to teach kids different important things in a single project. Through this, they are encouraged to express themselves, get creative, work in teams, improve their writing and reading skills, and teach them analytical reading as well by filling in the blanks to complete a sentence. Sounds fun? You bet. Get your student’s art supplies ready and their storybook written, and create wonderful memories with your class. Enjoy the activity!
