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We all want our kids to love books and reading. Reporting on the books they have read can be dry or it can be fun. While traditional book reports have their place in our homeschool, I really like to encourage the kids’ creativity and imagination when it comes to book reporting. Here are some creative activities you can have your children do:
– Write newspaper reports of different events that occur in the book.
– Construct a diorama of a scene in the story.
– Draw a picture or map of the place in which the story takes place, and label where different parts of the story happen.
– Imagine you are one of the characters and talk about how you feel about the other characters.
– Write a letter to the author, telling him/her what you enjoyed about the book.
– Compare the book to a similar story or another by the same author.
– Make a unique book jacket, complete with blurbs about the story.
– Write another chapter to the book, or another story with the same characters or setting.
– Make a poster to advertise the book.
– Write another ending to the story.
– Write a review of the book, telling what you liked about it and what you didn’t, and include reasons and examples.
– Make an illustrated timeline for the book.
– Use puppets to retell the story, or act out a scene from the story.
– Write a poem to accompany the story.
– Paint a mural or make a portrait gallery of the main characters, with description.
How do you make book reporting creative and fun in your homeschool?
Tanya is a homeschooling mother of three. When she’s not watching the kids act out the latest story they have read, she blogs about homeschooling, cooking, gardening, and more at So Happy Together.
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Thanks for the great list of ideas. When I did book reports with my oldest we never did anything fun, that I can remember. When I start book reports with my little guy, your list will be great to have on hand!
Great list getting my oldest to do a book report is a huge struggle. I am going to see if some of these ideas appeal to her.
Book reports are one of my favorite things! I don’t know why the public school system has to make them so tedious when, just as you have shown, they can be so much fun! Each book lends itself to such unique ideas of book reports that can be done. Such as with Little House books. One could experiment with foods they talked about eating , or sew a small quilt like they described helping their mother do, or invite a group of friends to play some of the games played in the books.
I do expect my children to always give me an oral or written summary of their books as well, but this becomes the side note, not the main project.
Oh I love the book jacket idea, I am so going to do that with my kids!!! I have been writing a book series over the past few weeks and here is a post on making a book more memorable: http://www.se7en.org.za/2011/03/31/se7en-1-ways-to-make-a-book-more-memorable
This sounds so fun. I hope I can remember some of your ideas when the time comes.
These are great ideas! I’m so glad I found your blog through the Homeschool Hop. Really like it- you have a lot of neat ideas about reporting for books. I will have to use a few of them for my kids! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing! I had my 9YO write these on a piece of paper so she can use the ideas for future book reports.
These are all excellent suggestions! I’ve compiled (and continue to build) a web resource of creative activities to be integrated into reading and writing (including creative book reports!). You can go directly to that specific main section through this link: http://www.creative-writing-ideas-and-activities.com/creative-writing-topics.html. From there, scroll down, and choose literature and writing activities based on different genres. I hope folks find it helpful!