Art is not only fun, but research suggests it helps to support speaking, listening, reading and writing skills! We wanted to celebrate Children’s Art Week with some fun drawing and drama activities. We asked our award-winning children’s book illustrator, Harriet Lynas, to show us how to recreate some of your favourite Kid’s Box characters! Then, you can encourage your students to complete some of our accompanying activities.
Monty Mouse
If you’ve taught from our Kid’s Box course, you’ll know Monty Mouse is a cheeky little rodent who likes to hide! But did you know that he makes a great model? Here’s how to draw Monty in a few short steps. All you need to draw along is some paper and a pen or pencil!
You can download the worksheet here for a printable set of step-by-step instructions on how to draw Monty. Or, if you want to just give Monty some clothes, or colour him in, you can download the ‘Monty’ colouring-in sheet here.
Trevor
Trevor is a monster who is quite lonely and what he needs is a good friend! This is a great activity for primary students and also gets rid of some of that household rubbish! Download our worksheet on making Trevor a friend using recyclable items around the house.
If you would rather draw Trevor himself, why not follow Harriet’s instructions in the video below – then he can be coloured in however you want!
Acting the part
Drama is a creative art form that can be very beneficial for language learning. It allows learners to practise speaking, without the pressure of speaking in front of the class in a traditional sense.
Here are some great activities you can try with the budding actors and actresses in your class:
Download a Trevor mask that you can print and colour at home. Then, make your own to go with it. The whole family or class can act out how Trevor and his new friends first meet!
We also have cut-out finger puppets that you can share with your class! Children can make the characters their own with how they colour them and then create stories of their own. If you need more inspiration, try these 6 easy ideas for using finger puppets for learning.