![\"Bookmark\"](\"https:\/\/www.surfnetkids.com\/early\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Bookmark-550x366.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Another idea for making a bookmark is to make a creature to mark the pages with. You can use a piece of foam some beady eyes, and a pipe cleaner to make an awesome bookmark.<\/p>\n
Have your child decide on what type of creature he wants to make. Good ideas include snakes and worms, because they are long, squiggly, and fun to cut out. Ants and other insects also make great bookmarks because the pipe cleaners can be used for antennas, which is really cute. Another idea for an antennaed creature is an alien.<\/p>\n
Whatever your child decides to make, draw it on the foam in pencil before cutting out the shape of the body. When the body looks right, you can cut out the bookmark from the foam.<\/p>\n
The next step is to decorate the creature. Put the eyes in place first, and go from there. You might want to add stripes to the body by cutting out sections of different colored foam and gluing them together. You also might want to add some sort of hair.<\/p>\n
A mop of floppy hair just above the eyes will make the creature cute and give it personality. Feathers from an old boa make great hair. Let your kid explore through old costumes and the junk drawer to come up with exciting ideas for her bookmark. She may want to make clothes for the creatures, or put glitter and sequins on it. Let the child be creative in making this creature.<\/p>\n
The last thing is to attach the antenna if you are going to use them. You can cut two small holes side by side at the top of the head. Being careful not to rip the foam, push the pipe cleaner so that it goes in one hole and out the other. Once it is woven through the holes (you want the pipe cleaner to be exiting each hole of the same side), bend the pipe cleaners up to form antennae. You can then bend a little curl on the top; bend them to look like lightning, or bend them whatever way your kid wants to.<\/p>\n
When you are done, have a great book ready for your kid to use the bookmark on. Either one he will read himself, or one that you will read to him. Give your child the book and explain that bookmarks are used to keep track of where you are in the book.<\/p>\n
Spend a half hour of reading time and when you are finished, use the book mark to mark the spot. You should try to get your child as excited as possible about the bookmark. Have them give the bookmark a name and then use that name. You can pretend that the bookmark reads the story and says things like, “let’s see what \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFerdinand’ has to tell us today.<\/p>\n
The key is not the bookmark. The key is to help your child learn to love to read. Making a bookmark not only lets you spend some quality time with your kid, but it also fosters creativity and enthusiasm for reading. These items don’t come cheap, but at about a buck an a half per bookmark; you are getting them pretty close to cheap, and a child who loves to read is priceless!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"