Related Episode:
101 B. Happy Birthday, Dog

Age Range: 3-5

Skills: Understanding How Print Works;Vocabulary Development

Subjects: Literacy and Language Development

My Very Own Birthday Party Book

In “Happy Birthday, Dog,” the WordFriends plan a birthday party for Dog. In this activity, you and your child can create your own book with pictures of things that you can find at a birthday party.

Materials:

• Several pieces of paper that are the same size (8 ½ x 11 or smaller)
• Markers or crayons to draw with and/or pictures from old magazines or newspapers
• Glue
• Stapler or yarn and hole puncher

Directions:

1. Brainstorm with your child to think of things that you can find at a birthday party. Write down each word on a separate piece of paper.
   
   Here are some suggestions of words to include in your book:
   • cake
   • hat
   • balloons
   • children
   • friends
   • family
   • gifts or presents
   • drinks
   • streamers
   • games
   • birthday card
2. Have your child paste or draw a picture of that thing on the same page with the word that describes it. For some things, your child can actually paste the object onto the page. These things could include a party hat, paper cup, pictures of family and friends, a piece of a streamer and a birthday card.
   (Note: Do not include actual balloons in your book, as these can be a choking danger.)
3. Work with your child to create a cover for your book. The cover should include the title of the book and the name of your child, such as “My Birthday Party Book” by Jordan Smith. Your child can also draw and paste pictures on the cover to show that the book is about a birthday party.
4. Place the cover on top of all of the pages and staple all the pages together OR punch a hole in the top left hand corner of each page and tie the pages together with yarn.
5. Read your birthday party book with your child.