[You may decide to choose either stories or rhymes. Before
discussing with the children who their favourite characters are,
you might like to tell them the day before to think about who
these characters might be so that they have time to think ahead
rather than being put on the spot during class discussion.]

Discuss with the children their favourite stories or nursery rhymes.
Have a few books or posters on hand that you think they may select.

• What are your favourite stories/rhymes?
• Why do you like them?
• Which are your favourite characters? Why?
• Look very carefully at your character. What does your character wear?
• Why does your character need clothes?
• What colours are the clothes?
• Are the clothes summer clothes or winter clothes? How can you tell?
• How are the clothes the same as the ones you are wearing?
• How are the clothes different to what you are wearing?
• What sort of things does your character do?
• What makes your character do these things? Do you ever do any of these things?
• What sort of things does your character say?
• How does your character move?
• Close your eyes and make a picture in your head of your character. Can you see them?
  What are they wearing? What colours can you see? Now try to paint your character.
  What will you need to think about?
• When your Tabard is dry, wear it. Does it make you feel like your character?
  Can anyone guess who or what you are supposed to be?
  Can you re-tell your story or nursery rhyme?

Meeting curriculum requirements:

Meeting the curriculum: This activity uses dressing up as a trigger for language development and the re-telling of
stories or rhymes. It requires skills of observation, recollection, mark-making and painting. It may be extended into
role-play, story writing, and knowledge and understanding of the world through the observation of different types of
clothing for different seasons.

Tips for Painting:

Tops and Tabards must be kept flat when they are being painted.
Have different brush sizes available.
Keep one set of brushes for each colour.
The children could also use thick water-based marker pens.
Encourage the children to paint boldly.
If things go wrong, wipe out with a damp cloth.

Useful Reference:

Children’s favourite stories and rhymes, posters if available.

What you will need:

Tops, Tabards or Flats, paints, paint trays, marker pens, water jars, paper towels, rags and brushes.

Activity 0011 Paint your friend
Activity 0034 Ragtime