Art and

pres
ents Writing
Activities for families with children ages 3 to 5

BETWEEN THE LIONS

is produced by
WGBH Boston,
Sirius Thinking, Ltd.,
and Mississippi
Public Broadcasting.
 O n BETWEEN THE LIONS, Lionel and Leona
often write and illustrate new stories
based on well-known folktales or books
they have read. Art and writing go hand in hand.
When your child draws, he has to pay attention to
Sugge
Here are
and art.
some gre
Ask your
sted B
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at stories
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detail. That skill is important for learning to read ns your c about bo
hild will o k
and write. While drawing, your child is also finding
and talk
about. love to e s with
xplore
creative ways to express her thoughts. That is the Arthur
Wr
basis for writing. Arthur th ites a Story by
inks his li Marc Bro
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1 Talk wittions in books. Ask Harold
an
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tr a
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what he When H r
arold dra ayon by Crocke
nt forms happen.
c h il d tr y differe ws, ama
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2 Have yression such as draw
of exp ting.
, and wri
painting
d
encils, an e.
ro v id e paper, p a t h o m
3 P s fo r c h ildren
crayon
artwork.
e y o u r children’s s they
g il
4 Encourase attention to detat them.
Pay c lo sk a b o u
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have add
ations
y y o u r child’s cre
5 Displa your home.
around
Make an Art Supply Box
Encouraging your child’s interest in art is
easy. Collect some basic art supplies in a
box. Then clear off some space at a table
or counter and let her imagination go.
If she needs some inspiration, tell her she
can draw a picture from a favorite story or
illustrate a fun day you spent together or
invent an imaginary animal.

For a rainy day project, start a letter scrap-

book. Label pages with a different letter
of the alphabet. Then have your children
cut out pictures from old magazines and
catalogs that begin with each letter (they
may need your help). Paste them on the
appropriate page. Label the pictures and
they have their first picture dictionary!

S u p p l y Ideares
Ar t rap paper, white or colo d
sc
• Blank or le markers Watch
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• Scraps of catalogs
You’ll f
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• Old mag an
scissors to play d lots of gam
• Child-safe cans and b
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ur child s
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• Labels fr nk mail
re s a n d p rint from ju
• Pictu
Create a Picture Book
Give your child lots of opportunities to write or to connect his spoken words to written
ones. For example, after he finishes a drawing, ask him to tell you about it. Then write
the caption or description he dictates on the picture. If your child has begun writing,
he can label the different things in his drawings, make menus or placemats for dinner,
or create a grocery list.

Use the next four pages to help your child make her own picture book. You can write
the story together, by having your child dictate her ideas to you. If she wants, she can
start by drawing a picture. As you write down her words, prompt her by asking, “And
then what happens?” Then have your child illustrate each scene. Be sure the author
takes credit for the book by signing her name on the cover page. Writing one’s name is
an important early literacy skill.

If your child is older, she may want to write

the story herself. Don’t worry if her spelling is
unusual. In fact, you can help her by stretching
out the sounds in words and helping her think
of letters for them. She’ll be learning this
technique in kindergarten and first grade.
My Very
Special
Letter
Instructions on the
following page.

Art ➔

Fold here ➔

Message ➔
✁
My Very Special Letter
Everyone likes to receive a personal letter. This activity will help your child learn how to send
an illustrated letter to a friend or relative. Make sure your child signs the letter!

What to do:
1 Ask your child to think of something 4 After your child has decorated the
special that she would like to write to message, fold the page in half, so that
a friend or favorite relative. the edges are even at the bottom.

2 Write down the message for your child
on the bottom part of the page. Ask the
person to write back soon!
3 Invite your child to decorate the top
half using magic markers, crayons,
or collage materials.
5 Write the name and address of the friend
or relative on the blank side.
6 Let your child deliver the letter in person
or place the letter in an envelope to mail.
Remember to put a stamp on it!

BETWEEN THE LIONS is produced by WGBH Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd.,
and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
BETWEEN THE LIONS is funded in part by The Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department
of Education’s Ready To Learn grant, and by the
Barksdale Reading Institute.
The contents of this document were developed in part under a
cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Education,
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Public Broadcasting
Service for the Ready To Learn Initiative, PR#s U295A050003 and
U295B050003. However, these contents do not necessarily represent
the policy of the Department of Education and you should not assume
endorsement by the Federal Government. Development of the contents
herein were funded in part by the Park Foundation and the Institute for
Civil Society.
The WGBH Educational Foundation and Home
Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY
USA; www.hippyusa.org.) collaborated on the original
creation of the contents and methodology for this booklet.

©2002, 2009 WGBH Educational Foundation and Sirius Thinking, Ltd.

National corporate funding is provided by Chick-fil-A, Inc.
All rights reserved. BETWEEN THE LIONS, Get Wild about Reading, and the
BTL characters and related indicia are trademarks or regis-
tered trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation. All third
party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Used with permission. www.pbskids.org/lions.

Designers Print Production Illustrator

Scott Thorpe Mark Hoffman Steven Mach
Jenny Barrett WGBH Design
WGBH Design
 Pounce on…

pbskids.org/lions

Watch BETWEEN THE LIONS on PBS Kids™

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