Make a book!

Are you amazed at the creative and clever things your kids say?

Want a way to capture what’s in their imagination right now and keep it forever?

Why not pick up a pen and help your kid make their very own book! The perfect way to capture their imperfect handwriting, made-up words, creative artwork and amazingly imaginative written voice and thinking your kids exhibit right now is one of man’s oldest hobbies: writing a story. You probably already have tons of books at home sitting on your shelves, but there’s nothing cooler for kids and their parents than to have something handmade, and not to mention, made with love and care. It only takes about an hour to complete this special project!

You Will Need:

• Paper for pages
• Construction paper
• Markers or crayons
• Stapler

Preparation Time

5 minutes to gather equipment




Activity Time

Depending on how long your story is, 15 minutes to several hours

Your books can be long or short, but the most important thing is to have fun making them!

Now it’s time to think of your story! Encourage your kids to use their imaginations. Children can often come up with amazing story ideas even without adult guidance. Let their imaginations go wild!

There are so many things to write stories about. If your children are at a loss about where to start, give them some topic ideas. Here are a few to suggest:

• Write about your life. Even the most mundane topic can become an exciting adventure, depending on how the story is told.
• Use a classic story or fairytale, and ask your child to change it up or make a parody of it. It’s fun to hear your kid interpret a story in their own way, and they can turn it into any genre they want.
• Insert yourself or your friends and family into a situation. Give your child a few prompts, such as, what would you do if you were captured by pirates? Or what if you could fly?
• Use your imagination to create characters and a plot that are all your own. They can be as silly and unbelievable or as realistic as you want. Just be sure to have a main character, a problem or challenge he or she has to solve (most of your story will be about how your character tries to do this) and a result at the end.

This is a really good time to teach your kid about a story arc. As the story goes, you can explain that there should be a beginning, middle and end to their story. You can explain that this will help their story make more sense, and it will give your child early practice at becoming a stronger writer and storyteller. Use a pen or a marker to write down the words so they’ll be clear and readable. If your child wishes, you can write it as they dictate the story. Some young kids may want to make their own story, but may not have great handwriting or even know how to write at all yet. But do try to capture at least part of the story (a signature, perhaps) in the child’s own handwriting.If your child is writing the story without your help, don’t worry too much about correcting spelling. We want them to simply be excited about the process and letting their imagination roam free, so spelling mistakes aren’t a big deal. Remember to leave some white space on every page for pictures. Also, most important, make sure to leave a margin on the left side of each page too, so that the words and pictures won’t get covered when you bind the book.Once the story is finished, it’s time to illustrate it. Use crayons or markers to add a picture to each page. Ask your child what the most important part of this page was, and try to help them keep the illustrations thematic to their story.Create a cover page for your book with an illustration. Then, add in a title, and have your young author write their name. Include the author’s age or the date on the cover, or somewhere in the beginning/end of the book. That way, when you read the story again in the future, you’ll know when it was written. Bind the papers together and your book is ready to go!

Make photos of the process and your Book and upload the collage to the App. Add some words on what the book is about, and the creative process put into making their book!