Responding to Literature by Creating Our Favorite Characters

Art center is one of the many center choices our children have to select from. Recently, our art center has been used to respond to class read aloud where our students are able to create paper representations of the main characters. It's a wonderful activity and the kids have a real fun time with it. The past two weeks, we read many books. Some of our favorite authors are Bob Shea and Mo Willems. Our students have created characters from books such as

Buddy and Bunnies in: Don't Play with Your Food! by: Bob Shea
Dinosaur vs. School by: Bob Shea
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by: Mo Willems

Right after our read aloud, we have choice centers. I work with a small group at the art center to create the characters. I would usually create one with them. Students are encouraged to create the character however they'd like. They don't have to stick to the same color scheme.

I really like this activity since it allows students to be a little creative with their creation and it helps them develop fine motor skills as they are cutting various shapes. They have the option of me drawing the body parts for them to cut or they can do it themselves. I can informally assess whether or not they are able to cut with precision or need practice holding the scissor grip properly. 

A.H. putting the finishing touches on his monster.

S.C. cutting her dinosaur's body.

This is an activity you can easily do at home. All that is needed is construction paper, scissor, glue, and a marker. Extra crafts material is a plus!

Read a great book with your child. Focus on one character for the activity after the reading. You can determine the basic shapes that make up the character and draw them for your child to cut out. Afterwards, they can put the parts together with glue (I recommend glue stick). If your child is having difficulty holding the scissor, model it for them and help them with the proper grip. Any additional features such as eyes, nose, mouth can be drawn on or cut out as well.

As you work with your child, ask them questions to give them opportunity to think and communicate. Instead of telling them what they need, you can ask questions for them to answer such as,

"What do we need to make the dinosaur?"
"What shape do we need for his head?"
"What are we missing?"

Our students are very engaged when creating their characters and are eager to complete it. You can tell they are proud of their work when they finish. They deserve to feel proud. The children put a lot of hard work into their creations. We've created a separate bulletin board to display their work. It will be titled Artist Alley.

Artist Alley