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Children's book activities: If you Take a Mouse to the Movies

Starr Weems de Graffenried's photo
Early Childhood Educational Activities Examiner
This popcorn lacing activity helps kids practice numerical order.
This popcorn lacing activity helps kids practice numerical order.
Photo credit: 
Craft and photo by Starr Weems de Graffenried

Winter is almost here and it is time to snuggle down on the couch with your kids and dig in to some holiday stories. If you and your children have enjoyed the popular If You Give... series by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond, then a good holiday pick is If You Take a Mouse to the Movies... The book follows the same circular, domino-effect sequencing as the other books in the series, but this one includes plenty of snowmen, ornaments and hot chocolate. Explore the story with your children by choosing a few of the following activities to complete after you read. See the photo album at the bottom of the page for examples and instructions.

  • This story involves lots of popcorn. Print a free popcorn coloring sheet for your child to decorate. You can glue real popcorn directly to the sheet or just color it.
  • Use the popcorn coloring sheet above as a template and cut out popcorn-shaped construction paper pieces and then number, laminate and punch holes in them for a numerical-order lacing activity. See the photo album for an example.
  • String real popcorn! If you are concerned about your child using a needle to string popcorn, try stringing packing peanuts on yarn instead.
  • Make popcorn balls and shape them into mice.
  • Make a circular cause-and-effect diagram like the one in the photo album. Write the key story events in a circle on a poster board or large sheet of construction paper. Use drawings, magazine cutouts and construction paper to illustrate the events and then have kids paste them into the proper place.
  • Cut out the shape of a Christmas tree from green construction paper. Write out numbers on the tree. Cut ornaments from construction paper and number them. Kids can match the numbers on the tree with the ones on the ornaments. See the slide show for an example.
  • The mouse in the story asks for glitter to make ornaments. Make your own glittery mouse ornaments. Use a mouse template to decorate. Punch a hole in the top and thread yarn through the hole. You can also use tracing paper to trace a mouse for your ornament.

For more creative activities that go along with Laura Numeroff's books, watch ABC&123 as they collect ideas from parents and educators in upcoming weeks.

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Slideshow: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

12 photos
Cut a tree and ornaments from construction paper. Write out numbers on the tree and on the ornaments.

Slideshow: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

, Early Childhood Educational Activities Examiner

Starr Weems de Graffenried is a teacher, artist and activity designer. She holds a M.Ed. from Auburn University and is CELTA certified through Cambridge. Starr is the author of Teach Your Child Spanish Through Play and Brain Child. Contact her here.

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