The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes the word Bookish as :
bookish ( adjective)
book.ish
1a. Of or relating to books
b. Fond of books and reading
2a. Inclined to rely on book knowledge
b. Of words: literary and formal as opposed to colloquial and informal
c.given to literary or scholarly persuit
So what is bookish play?
I could find no official definition of Bookish play online but if you have followed the hashtag #bookishplay you would have seen amazingly creative parents and teachers introduce a fun play activity that directly relates to the book they are reading.
What are the benefits of Bookish play?
Although Hamish and I have introduced a few bookish play ideas into some of our previous reading times, I’ve decided to introduce these once a week to encourage him to retell the story through play, thus allowing him to
- Retain larger amounts of information
- Develop his creativity
- Retell a story
- Understand sequence
- Develop his imagination
- Grow his vocabulary
- Foster a love of reading
- Learn through play
How to introduce bookish play
To better understand what bookish play is and how to go about introducing this fun way of play into your week, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite ideas across the web.
- Sam and Dave Dig a Hole from Wander on Home
- Possum’s magic from Mum of two bumbling through
- Bunny slopes from parenting not perfection
- Lemonade from parenting not perfection
- Dig, Dump, Roll from Finding myself young
And some lovely examples from ….
- Usborne 7 bookish play ideas for children
Introducing an activity and invitation to play will engage your children into the story and will benefit any little one who may not like story time or who may struggle to sit through reading time.
Have you introduced bookish play into your week?
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