Character Metaphor Project

Older kiddos often get left out of the hands on crafty projects that younger kids get to do.  Here is an idea for giving your older kiddo a bit of fun while they explore a character in the book they are reading. 

Materials

1. Person template (click here to print)
2. old magazines (ones with lots of pictures)
3.   Glue                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Directions: 

Have your child choose a character from the novel they are reading or a period of history they are studying.  This character/person should be one that is so fascinating that they’d enjoy learning a bit more about him or her.

  Then follow the steps below:


1. Using old magazines, pictures, greeting cards, drawings, or clip art, choose pictures of objects or things that describe something interesting about your character. Consider body parts as you do this.

• Head/Face/Mouth – Think about their intellect, beauty, and other mental and physical descriptions.  What do they think about often?  (Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, pics of spiders)
• Hands – How do they use their hands? (Anne Frank, pic of Diary)
• Heart – What are their feelings, attitudes, and concerns for other things or people? (Atticus Finch, pic of something equally black and white)
• Feet – Where do they go? What do they do?  (Mother Theresa, pic of India)

1. Glue the pictures in collage form on the area that best suits that picture. If the character/historic person is stubborn, glue pictures of rocks on their head. And so on.
2. On the back of the person template, write a description of why you chose that metaphor for your character and why you put it in that particular place.