International Literacy Day Art for Kids

Take reading off of the printed page on International Literacy Day. Add on to your child’s book-based experiences with a fun art activity. How can you include art into literature? Check out these crafty creations that kids can make to mark this special day.
Shoe Box Diorama
Your child can tell the tale of her favorite story in this mini scene box. Open an old shoe box and turn it on its side (one of the long sides). Draw the backdrop onto the interior of the box and then paint it. Your child can add accents, such as furniture or trees with card stock paper. She can draw the items, cut them out and then fold a tab at the bottom. Glue the tabs onto the bottom of the box. Next, create characters using modeling clay to complete the scene.
Literature Collage
Pick a story and have your child page through kid-friendly magazines to look for pictures that match it. These might be people who look like characters from the story, places or other features from the narrative. Cut the pictures out and glue them to a piece of cardboard or poster board.
Crayon or Pencil Drawing
If you’re looking for something simple, hand over the crayons or colored pencils and ask your child to draw part of a favorite story. Your creative kid can make one drawing or draw several that show different points of the tale.
Print It
Use styrofoam to create a paint print of a character from a book. Your child can draw the portrait into the foam sheet using the side of a craft stick. Cover it with tempera paint, and then press it onto construction paper to reveal a print.
