Draw a Fairy Tale Map

What You Need:

• Your child's favorite fairy tale or fantasy story
• Paper
• Pens, markers, pencils, or colored pencils

What You Do:

1. Ask your child to brainstorm her favorite fairy tale, or read a few together and urge her to pick the best one. After she's chosen, re-read it together slowly. Encourage her to pay attention to the setting and environment that the story takes place in.
2. Next, have her make a list of all the locations that the characters in the story visit. Try to have her list them in order.
3. Now, she's ready to start making her map! Ask her to first mark the different spots visited in the story. She can draw a small image and then write a caption, such as "Grandmother's House" next to the picture.
4. Then, encourage her to further illustrate the map by drawing what she imagines the setting to be. For example, if there's a forest she can draw trees and forest animals, and if there's a body of water, she can draw and decorate it on the outskirts of the map.
5. If this applies to the story, have her draw the route that the character follows. For example, Little Red Riding Hood goes through the woods to Grandmother's house.
6. When she is finished, ask her to describe the setting to you. Where do the characters go in the story? What's her favorite location on the map, and why? Where would she want to visit?