Fun and Games: Book-Inspired Activities that Make Reading Come to Life

What’s better than you and your kiddos cozying up to a stack of new books? Using the pages as your blueprints to some awesome real-life adventures!

By rtemmasmith May 19, 2015

What’s better than you and your kiddos cozying up to a stack of new books? Using the pages as your blueprints to some awesome real-life adventures! We’ve paired up a collection of new children’s titles by local authors and illustrators with nearby activities for you and your family, ripped right from the stories.

This month, we went straight to the good stuff: fun and games. We’ve matched each book, which features kids playing, creating, imagining, and building, with a parallel outing. From taking in a flick at an old-timey movie house to digging a hole to China, these adventures speak to the child in all of us.

Express Yourself

Read this: Emily’s Blue Period, by Cathleen Daly. Illustrated by Lisa Brown. Emily loves to paint and draw, and when she learns about Picasso at school, a whole new world opens up. Through the sweet story and expressive line drawings, we follow Emily as she uses art to work through the sadness and confusion of her parents’ divorce. A great pick for reading one-on-one.

Then do this: The free, drop-in, Saturday art classes at the De Young Museum are just one of those incredible benefits of living in the Bay Area. Kids four and up will view one of the museum’s exhibits, then return to a makeshift studio to create their own masterpieces. A wonderful way for a parent and child to bond—and take in some art at the same time.

Most Saturdays at 10 a.m. (general public) and 12:30 p.m. (members only)
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA
415-750-3600
Online: deyoung.famsf.org/education/families-children/free-saturday-classes

Do you have any other suggestions pairing great books with real-world fun? Tell us in the comments below!

—Emma Bland Smith