Creativity and inspiration at home

11 January 2021

As we find ourselves at home, with doors closed to classrooms for most children, teachers and school staff across the country are doing an incredible job to deliver lessons online – and parents are doing an equally incredible job homeschooling! We want to support all these brilliant people, so here are some activities to encourage creativity and support learning – and you’ll find lots more on the website!

Key Stage 1

There’s a whole host of quick and easy activities which will inspire the youngest readers, with Jonathan the Magic Pony Join the Dots and Spot the Difference . For even more inspiration, there’s Sir Captain Tom Moore and his Amazing Medals colouring sheet, based on the delightful book One Hundred Steps. Encourage writing and staying touch with loved ones with Sir Captain Tom Moore’s Postcards template. You can find more Key Stage 1 resources here.

Key Stage 2

Bumper book packs based on fantastic fiction titles such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Roald Dahl’s The BFG and Wonder by R J Palacio will get children in Key Stage 2 excited about their learning! For those who enjoy non-fiction, try Extraordinary Biographies or Amazing Muslims who changed the World. All of our bumper book packs link in with a variety of curriculum topics including English, PSHE, Geography and Science and incorporate extracts and fund educational activities. Find more ideas here.

Key Stage 3

Spark a debate with older readers using our discussion-based resources based on the classic tale by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women or Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses. And use our booklists to inspire reading at home, featuring lists including Reinventing the Classics and Empowering Books with Black Characters.

More inspiration?

For even more creative inspiration, we have an amazing selection of video resources to capture the imagination and bring stories to life.  Encourage your budding storytellers to put pen to paper with draw-alongs, how to guides and storytime, with favourite authors and illustrators, Jacqueline Wilson, Sam Copeland, Nadia Shireen and Jamie Littler to name a few.  Videos can be found here.

Puffin Story Maker Show

If you haven’t tuned in to the Puffin Story Maker Show before then now is the time! These 30-minute shows feature fantastic Puffin authors and illustrators,  challenges to draw favourite characters and write stories. There is plenty here to keep the whole family engaged for hours. Each show is themed around a particular topic, from how to change the world to learning what empathy means, making it the perfect accompaniment to home learning lessons.

Share your stories

Every day across social media and the news we’re seeing new ways that we can share stories. We love hearing stories so why not share them with us when they’re finished? Contact us on Twitter @PuffinBooks. If you have any ideas, questions or just want to tell us what you’re reading then please contact [email protected]
Thank you and stay safe everyone.

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