Read, Discuss, Do! Activities that You Can Do Anywhere

Read, Discuss, Do! is an initiative that encourages parents to take simple steps to extend the benefits of story time beyond the last page. These steps are:

1. Read a book
2. Discuss the book
3. Do an activity related to or inspired by the book

If you search "story time ideas" online, you will find a lot of projects ranging from the simple to the complicated. There are many fun, creative ideas out there! However, it can be a bit overwhelming, and possibly even discouraging for those short on time and craft supplies. So the primary purpose of Read, Discuss, Do! is to present simple, book-specific ideas that can be done without a lot of fuss or fanfare, with items that are commonly found around the house.

Sometimes, though, even that isn't convenient. You could be in the car, on a plane, or sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Or you might just want to stay curled up on the couch! But that's no reason to cut story time short. After reading the book and discussing the story in general, try going further with one or more of these activity ideas:

1. Make up alternate endings.

2. Ask your child to relay the story to you in their own words.

3. Act out the story in part or in whole.

4. Use context clues to define new and unfamiliar vocabulary.

5. Investigate the illustrations for additional layers to the story.

6. Look through the text for examples of literary devices, such as alliteration, rhyme, and simile.

7. Tell personal stories that relate to the text of the book.

8. Examine your immediate surroundings and compare/contrast them with the book's setting.

9. Have little ones explore the text to find familiar letters or words.

10. Go back through the illustrations and count repeating elements.

11. Play a game of charades based on the book's characters and events.

Are you interested in book-specific ideas or more inspiration on other ways to extend story time beyond the last page? Check out these Read, Discuss, Do! craft ideas here on my blog, and search #ReadDiscussDo on Facebook and Twitter!