Beyond the Pages: Activities for Avid Readers

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Are you passionate about stories? Are you creative? This is your space! Here, you’ll find plenty of ideas to transform your reading into a unique experience. Share your passion for literature with the English Language Institute! These suggestions are inspired by our last blog, “Get Ready for These Chilling Reads!“. We’re excited to share them with you!

General Activities After Reading Any Book:

Create a Glossary: As you read, jot down new words and their meanings in English. Use a notebook or your phone’s notes app. Organize them by topic (e.g., ghosts, monsters, emotions) to make learning easier.
Summarize the Story: After each chapter or story, try summarizing it in your own words. This will help you understand the plot better and improve your English writing skills. If summarizing every chapter seems too much, try doing it once, after finishing the entire book—or check out some of our other creative suggestions!
Draw or Paint: If you enjoy art, try illustrating your favorite scenes as if you were the book’s illustrator. This exercise can help you visualize the story better and remember key details.
Write Your Own Stories: Create your own horror stories inspired by what you’ve read. Use the same characters and spin new adventures, or give the original plot a unique twist!
Discuss with Others: Share your thoughts with friends or family. Exchange opinions, theories, and questions about the books you’ve read. Consider organizing a book club to dive deeper into your discussions!

Specific Activities for Kids and Teens:

Classic Stories:

Compare and Contrast: Compare different versions of the same story (e.g., various adaptations of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).
Character Analysis: Describe the main characters and explain their motivations.
Identify Horror Elements: Discuss what makes the story part of the horror genre (e.g., dark settings, eerie characters).

Picture Books:

Illustration Analysis: Explore how the illustrations contribute to the storytelling.
Book vs. Film: If a movie adaptation exists, compare the two versions. What are the similarities and differences? Which one do you prefer?

Book series:

Create Theories: Develop theories about the book’s mysteries and see how they compare to the actual plot.
Write Letters to Characters: Express your opinions or advice by writing letters to your favorite characters.

Group Activities:

Organize a Book Club: Gather friends to read the same book and discuss it together. It’s a fun and enriching experience!
Stage a Play: Adapt one of your favorite books into a play and perform it with friends or family.

Online Resources:

Search YouTube: Find videos that explain the books you’re reading. Watching them in English will improve your vocabulary and pronunciation!
Join Online Reading Groups: There are many online forums and reading groups where you can chat with people worldwide about the books you love. Ensure the sites are safe, and if you’re a minor, have an adult to supervise your participation.

Which book from our proposals have you read?

Here are more fun and educational ideas for each book:

The Little Old Woman Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Create a Soundtrack: Imagine a soundtrack that would fit this brave woman’s journey. Create a playlist for each character or scene.
Dress Up: Make costumes for the woman and the animals in the story. Use recycled materials and get creative!
Write a Diary: Pretend you’re the little old woman and write about her adventures and feelings in diary form.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Map the Village: Draw a map of Sleepy Hollow and mark important places, such as the cemetery and Ichabod Crane’s home.
Invent a New Legend: Create your own ghost story inspired by your hometown.
Write a Screenplay: Adapt The Legend of Sleepy Hollow into a short film script and perform it with friends.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Design a New World: Imagine a new holiday world with its own characters and traditions. Use other holidays for inspiration, such as St. Patrick’s Day.
Create a Song: Write a song from one of the characters’ perspectives using any musical style you like—rock, pop, or even jazz!
Build a Model: Create a model of Halloween Town or Christmas Town using recycled materials.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Debates: Organize a debate on the topic of juvenile justice. Do you think the protagonist is guilty? What do you think should have happened?
Write a letter: Write a letter to one of the characters expressing your feelings about the story.
Create a comic: Adapt a part of the graphic novel into a comic with your own drawings.

Goosebumps and A Series of Unfortunate Events

Create a Board Game: Design a board game based on the book series. You can include questions about the characters, places, and events in the story. Like a “Trivial”, for example!
Create a Podcast: Record a podcast where you and your friends discuss the books and share your theories about what will happen in the next installment.

The key is to have fun and be creative!

And, can we do activities after reading comics?

Of course! Here are some of our proposals:

Dracula:

Diary of a Vampire: Write a diary from the point of view of one of the characters, such as Jonathan Harker or Mina Harker. How would they live their lives if they were vampires?
Create your role-playing game: Imagine yourself in Transylvania! Create an RPG where you and your friends can be vampire hunters or creatures of the night.

Frankenstein:

Great Debate: We discuss the limits of science: how far can we play God?
Monstrous Sculpture: Model a figure of Frankenstein or one of his creations. Who knows, maybe your monster will be cuter than the original!

Sabrina, the teenage witch:

Wizard for a Day: Invent your own magical spells and rituals, but remember to follow the rules of Sabrina’s world!
Magical fashion: Design clothes inspired by the style of Sabrina or other comic book characters.

Extra activity! We create a unique experience: Organize a themed party, costume contest or fan art exhibition with friends and family related to any of the books read.

And after reading the proposed Manga comics, what can we do?

Both Uzumaki and Ayakashi are full of symbolism. Decipher the mysteries! Make a list of all the symbols you find in Uzumaki and Ayakashi and try to understand what they mean.

Uzumaki

Study the Spiral: Research the cultural significance of spirals and how Junji Ito uses this motif in his story.
Build a Cursed World: Create a model of Kurozu-cho or one of the eerie creatures from the manga.

Ayakashi

Compare Legends: Look up similar Japanese legends and compare them to those in Ayakashi.
Create a Bestiary: Make a detailed bestiary of the supernatural creatures in the manga, describing their traits and abilities.

With friends:

Role-playing Games: Create an RPG based on the universe of Uzumaki or Ayakashi. Players can assume the roles of different characters and explore the haunting world.
Cosplay: Create a cosplay of your favorite manga character and participate in themed events—or host one yourself!

We have explored a range of activities to make reading an unforgettable experience. From creating your own comics to organizing a book club or even a party! The possibilities are endless. Here at the school, we encourage our students to read and even read books throughout the course. If you’ve read a book with us, be encouraged to explore new stories and develop your creativity!

Remember, reading is not only fun, but also helps us develop our imagination, enrich our vocabulary and expand our knowledge. So read on and enjoy!

Have you done any of these activities? Share it with us on our Instagram or email [email protected]! We’d love to hear what you think and see your creations.