Shake and rattle; howl and growl!
Get kids to create their own sound effects for family read-alouds of both spooky and not so spooky stories.
What you’ll need:
- books
- sticky notes
- bells and a whistle
- keys
- rice
- metal pans and lids
- kitchen utensils and dishes
- aluminum foil
- cellophane wrappers and plastic bags
- things with wheels
- balls
- styrofoam and plastic cups
- ceramic bowl filled with marbles, rocks, nuts and bolts
- water in a bowl or spray bottle
- sandpaper
- broom or brush
- musical instruments and Seussical Musical Instruments
- pillows
- umbrella
Directions:
From pants jumping and heart-thumping to stilts clattering and Nizzards chattering—make a read-aloud of What Was I Scared Of?, The King’s Stilts, or any book more fun and engaging when you have kids create sound effects!
Start this activity by reading through your book of choice together, deciding as you read what words, illustrations, characters, and plot points to highlight with sound effects. Add a sticky note to your book in each place a sound effect is desired. For example, if you are adding sound effects to The Cat in the Hat, you might mark the illustration of rain falling on the house.
Next take a sound walk around your house with your kids to identify items that can make interesting noises. Encourage kids to explore the items and the sounds they make and consider how they can be used as sound effects in the book you’ve marked. For example, if you’ve marked the illustration of rain falling on the house in The Cat in the Hat, you might try sprinkling rice into a pan or bowl to make the sound of rain falling on the house. The possibilities depend on what you have available, so get kids to use their imaginations and be resourceful! Encourage them to take cues from Mr. Brown and all the wonderful things he can do with his voice.
Read the book again and let kids test out the sounds made with the items they’ve gathered. If the sound works, write which item made it on the appropriate sticky note. Have kids test other items and vocal expressions until all your sticky notes are complete.
Have all sound effect items laid out for easy access and read the book aloud again with kids listening for where you are in the text and adding their sound effects. Invite other kids and grown-ups to watch your performance! Kids will enjoy this interactive reading experience and funny noises and sound effects will soon become a staple of your read-alouds.