Reading stories aloud together builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, and promotes speech development. By adding a craft to the experience, you continue to build on story time learning; practicing motor skills and creativity, while reminding the child of themes and words from the story. It becomes active engagement (in the same way that adding the movement of Bendy Bookworm’s yoga poses do) in order to benefit the child’s optimal ability to learn through play.

Try this craft (Ideal for ages 6-9 years old). Pair it with “Dia De Los Muertos” by Roseanne Greenfield Thong for an At Home: Story Time and Craft Activity.

Cognitive Skills: vocabulary, focus (learned from independent reading), and visual processing
Motor Skills: drawing shapes, cutting, and glueing (practiced during the craft)
Emotional Skills: empathy, friendship, cultural awareness

Materials: 

• Color Markers or Crayons

• Paper plate

• Pencil

• Scissors and Glue

• Popsicle Stick

• Optional: Glitter, Stickers, etc.

Step One: 
*Cut the shape (pictured below) out of the paper plate.

Step Two: 
*Draw designs on the face of your skull (you can use the design below for inspiration).

Step Three: 
*Color and decorate your skull.
*Glue the popsicle stick behind the paper plate (where the teeth are).

WANT EVERYTHING A STORY TIME CAN OFFER? ADD IN BENDY BOOKWORM YOGA; MOVEMENT YOUR CHILDREN CAN PRACTICE ON THEIR OWN. THEY WILL GAIN ALL THE BENEFITS OF A READ A LOUD STORY TIME PLUS PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH MOVEMENT!