Reading bonds love and learning. It is a perfect activity for all ages. A child’s first book report: the story rope activity, is one more step in creating an added level of learning after you read your child a book.
As a former classroom teacher, I actually used this idea in a first grade classroom. The story rope idea works for preschool, kindergarten, first grade and on up to third grade.
The printable worksheet builds on the concepts to create a writing lesson in this as well (for the older kids). The worksheet is good for children from first grade on up.
Story Rope Book Report Activity
A simple way to check a child’s understanding of a story is to ask them questions. The story rope takes symbols and adds in an element of fun for younger kids. It teaches them the parts of a book report in a hands-on, visual way.
To begin, you will need a few supplies to make your story rope. Then, you can print out the story rope book report worksheet for the older kids.
Supplies:
Craft foam or Construction paper (x different colors)
18-inch piece of 1-2 inch ribbon
Hot glue or craft glue
Laminator or clear contact paper (if you are using construction paper rather than foam)
Story Rope Patterns and Worksheet
Make it:
Print out the story rope symbol patterns. (Available in the shop here.)
Cut out the patterns and place one a separate color of foam or cardstock.
Trace the patterns onto the colored foam. If you cut them out of paper, it is a good idea to laminate or cover them in contact paper for durability.
Glue the symbols onto the ribbon as shown in the image below.
Print out the Story Rope worksheet if you plan to use this with a child who can write.
Share that the story rope is a way to talk about a story after you have read it. Explain to your child what each symbol represents or means.
Using the How to Teach outline will help you walk through each of the steps to teach this lesson
Read a story together. After the story, use the story rope to go through and discuss each part of the story.
Then, the bigger kids can write on the worksheet to record their information. This is a great outline for writing a formal book report. It can also be used as a book report on its own.
The pattern sheet and worksheet are available as a bundle in the shop along with other mom tools for enhancing time with the kids.
Reading to kids is a perfect activity. It enhances the bond between you and your child. It exposes children to language, stories, and information.
It is simple to teach your child to recall and remember what they read. Try this story rope activity during your read aloud time, if you homeschool, or do a bedtime storytime.
It will give you the opportunity to spend some quality time together with your children.
Access the story rope patterns and worksheet in the shop here.
Gain access to subscriber-only gifts and free printables when you sign up via email to receive updates from me. There are so many resources to choose from.
