The Shape Game: Kids Literature Brings Art to Life

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The Shape Game is a wonderful book to inspire a child’s creativity and visual awareness. Kids literature can be so much more than just stories when you use book inspired activities to help children actually live the book. Kids Activities Blog is excited to have Lisa from Raising Explorers as a Quirky Momma for the day.

The Shape Game

Have you read The Shape Game? It's an Anthony Browne picture book. (I already blogged on Browne's The Tunnel in my post about choosing books to engage kids in reading.) If you're not familiar with Anthony Browne, it's worth your time to find some of his work. He's a prolific British author/illustrator, and the creator of many of our favourite picture books. The Shape Game is about a family who visit an art gallery together, and have their hearts and minds opened by the experience. Browne's message is about the transformative and restorative power of the imagination, and its ability to strengthen relationships.

Kids Literature

Have you ever set about tracing the footsteps of a book you have read with your kids? If you haven't, give it a go! It's great fun. We're Going on a Bearhunt is an obvious choice. We hunt bears all the time! The Shape Game is also a great book to use. Not only are you linking kids ™ literature to real life, but you get to go on an adventure to a gallery, broadening your children's cultural experience even more. Kids get much more from the gallery, too, when they are already familiar with what it's all about. I brought The Shape Game home a few weeks ago, and Phoebe and Blake were hooked straight away, particularly Phoebe, who definitely has an affinity for the visual. Blake's an auditory chap. He enjoys the sound of words, music and songs. He finds it easy to remember song lyrics, and wants us to repeat things to help him remember. Phoebe, on the other hand, learns visually. She is much better at drawing and writing, and can recall most of the alphabet visually. Ah, nature. I love the twins ™ differences even more than their similarities! As a parent and as a teacher, I have clearly seen how the deepest learning takes place when kids are engaged, when they can see the relevance of what they're doing, and link it to what they already know. P and B enjoyed the gallery so much more after reading The Shape Game than if I ™d taken them along with no prior learning about art, or the art gallery. When kids love what they are doing, and build on past experiences, learning is fun, and they don't even realize they're learning!

Art to Life

As a result of their interest in The Shape Game, I decided it was the right time to take Phoebe and Blake on their first expedition to the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney. At almost-four, they were very excited about taking the train into town, wandering through Hyde Park and across the Domain to the gallery. (Of course, the train ride is always a highlight). Entry to the Art Gallery of NSW, and to many art galleries, is free for everyone, so it's not an expensive day out. We made the adventure even more fun by posing for photos that mimicked many of the images from the picture book. It was a blast! And, to me, THAT is why literature is so important, even for preschoolers! Because it comments on the world in which we live, tells us about who we are, who we can be, where we can go, and what we can see, forever expanding our horizons. What a day! So give it a go “ live the book! And don't forget to discuss what you're reading with your kids. Ask them questions as you go, talk about the pictures, and you ™ll do more than just read, you ™ll bring books to life. I ™d love to know your favourite picture books, past and present. What do your kids enjoy reading?

More Kids Activities

We hope you and your child enjoy the book and activities for The Shape Game. Kids literature can transform a child’s world and let their imaginations and creativity soar. For more great book inspired kids activities, take a look at these fabulous ideas:

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