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.

Build it Big

Read this: Too Tall Houses, by Gianna Marino. When Rabbit’s garden blocks Owl’s view, the two frenemies embark on a building battle, making their homes taller and taller… and taller. Goofy and outrageous, with gorgeous illustrations, this folksy tale imparts world wisdom we’d all do well to take to heart.

Then do this: If your kid’s just gotta build, bring him to Sausalito’s Bay Area Discovery Museum, and let him go nuts with the giant foam blocks, bridges, noodles and balls in the innovative Imagination Playground. Other building-related activities include constructing the Golden Gate Bridge in Lookout Cove (hard hats included), and manning the diggers in the gravel pits.

557 McReynold’s Road
Sausalito, CA
415-339-3900
Online: baykidsmuseum.org

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

—Emma Bland Smith