There’s so many extension activities you can do with children’s story books!  Linda Foca Mitten, a FACS teacher from Danbury High School, Connecticut shares this creative game board project that her Early Childhood Workshop honors class designs and utilizes when they teach at both an onsite preschool program and at the elementary level. Linda shares that her students have entire teaching days at their onsite program that they are responsible for and the themes are usually based on children’s books. Therefore, it seemed only logical that the project be connected to a popular children’s book and played during free play time at the center.

Note:  Linda asked me to share that she is retiring in June and her job will be available.  She teaches in a six teacher department at Danbury High School, Danbury, CT. The school has 3000 students, 47 languages spoken at home.  She teaches  4 sections of Child Development and one Early Childhood Workshop and no first or eighth period. A great schedule!

Materials

• Popular Children’s Storybooks
• Game Board Supplies
• Art Supplies

Game Board Directions

Supplies can be found at this website or students can create their own or repurpose an existing game board.  See game board examples in the PPT below.

1. Design a board game based on a children’s book
2. Game should be age appropriate for children ages 3-6
3. Select learning skill or skills that will be reinforced. For example: color or number concepts, alphabet identification, shapes etc.
4. Use graphics from book
5. All cards and board must be laminated
6. Box should be decorated and laminated with non-heat laminate roll.
7. Game directions should be laminated and glued to inside cover once entire group has played game and offered suggestions for edits
8. Each group should exchange games and play each game offering suggestions for board and direction edits
9. Once all changes have been made, glue final directions to inside cover of the box
10. As a group score using criteria checklist on a 1-4 scale.
(5 Points were given for each planning and work period present, 0 if absent.)

Criteria that they scored 1-4 included: