Me and My Purple Crayon

What you need: 

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson 
• Drawing paper 
• Chunky purple crayon 
• Finger paint 

What to do:

1. Cuddle up with your child and the classic story, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Reread the story several times to familiarize her with the text. 
2. Talk about Harold and how he used his wishes and a crayon to create his wonderful purple adventure. Offer your child a sheet of drawing paper and a chunky, easy-to-grasp purple crayon. Ask her to close her eyes to imagine an adventure, and invite her to begin drawing. (She might want to dictate the words of an accompanying story.)
3. To take the color exploration further, set out cups of red, blue, and white finger paint. Invite your child to experiment with color mixing to create different shades of purple — and new adventures.

Learning benefits: 

• Encourages creativity and imagination 
• Introduces colors and color-mixing 
• Supports pre-literacy skills