I am passionate about reading books and so is my husband. I have been reading to my twins since they were 2 months old. Over two years, we have read several books with our girls, some fun, some sad, some naughty, some dreamy. So, I think this section of my blog was inevitable.
I must tell you that for us books are not just pages or another story we read to our curious twins. With every book we read, we unfold a conversation, a visual art that takes us away into a world of discovery. Sometimes, we discover we are artists, sometimes we are chefs, other times we become organizers, creators, storytellers, and even magicians. Books open a window to imagination; they inspire us! So, welcome to BOOKSPIRATION (books+inspiration).
In this column, I will be writing about how we use books to spark our imagination and creativity in various forms, like art, construction, cooking, gardening, etc. I will pick up a book and offer activities around that book which children can do. Most activities, I would have already done with my toddlers. However, there are many books for which I get an idea but I am unable to try it with my twins due to time or other pressing demands of life!
For this first post, I have picked up our family favorite – GOODNIGHT MOON. Listed below are some activities based on this book. You must have seen this book reference in my blog on 10 books for toddlers you won’t tire of reading over and over again.
Building the Night Scene
This is a very simple and quick activity. You need the following supplies:
- Black Paper
- White paper for moon, you can use anything or any material to build the moon
- Silver glitter to make stars
We live here in the U.S., and our parents and family is in India. So, we also talked about the day and night transition and how when we do good night moon here, someone is doing good morning sun in India. So, we made a sun as well. You need the following supplies:
- Orange Paper
- Yellow Straws
- Eyes and Face
Preparing for Bed Cubby
Among all the other activities, girls loved this particular one. We took their favorite toy and gathered all the things it would need to go to bed, like bath towel to take shower, pair of pajamas, book, toothbrush, milk, water, etc. My first in order twin also took toy Mummy and Daddy. This can be a fun activity, light on you, and you get to talk about the bed time routine. It got my kids so involved that they spent almost 20-30 minutes playing with this game. It also made them feel as if they are in charge.
Letter Matching with Book Characters
My kids are currently learning letters and numbers. So, we identified the elements in the room and talk about which letter it begin with. For example, “mitten” begins with a the letter “M”. And we placed the letter M next to it. I also used the sensory cards to make them feel the shape.
This is also a good phonics exercise and you can identify what else begins with “M” in the room you are sitting. Try to using different types of words with the letter.
Learning Activities for Kids
Verbal Fill in the Blanks/ What Happens Next
We do this for several of our favorite books, especially because we have read them so many times. This is how it goes. I start with the sentence and then ask them to complete the rest. So, if I’d say “…good night kittens…” they will complete the sentence saying “good night mittens.” I feel this activity also strengthens their storytelling and reading abilities. I often have observed both girls sitting with the book and trying to explain what happening!
You can even try the age-old trick of what happens next. Let them create a story and then build on that story. There is a possibility you might not be able to move beyond one or two pages but then who is complaining as long as kids are enjoying. And GNM is such a simple book that kids would love to do this.
Counting Activitiy
I found this wonderful PDF online for making counting fun with GNM book. Try this out. I hope you will like it as much as my girls loved it.
Hope you enjoy creating some or all of these activities with your curious little darlings!
Until next book, stay safe!
twinspiration.me 
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