Simple Book Activity for The Shape of Me and Other Stuff

Have you ever watched as a young child plays with their shadow on a sunny day?  They contort their bodies, using their imaginations as their shadow becomes a bird, an elephant, or even a dinosaur.

On a recent trip to the library we discovered The Shape of Me and Other Stuff , a fun Dr. Seuss book that takes that child-hood love of shadows and gets kids thinking about shapes in a whole new way.

After reading the book we had fun with this simple silhouette activity — a perfect activity for The Shape of Me and Other Stuff.  

(Related: Dr. Seuss Crafts and Activities)

The illustrations in The Shape of Me and Other Stuff are all silhouettes.

As we read the book it was fun to look at the shapes of each shadowy picture and determine what each was supposed to be.  It reminded me of a fun game I had played as a child.

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff silhouette activity

To recreate this silhouette activity you will need several objects that are fairly flat.

Trace each object onto a piece of white paper.  Color in the shape of each object so it is a solid color, just like the illustrations in Dr. Seuss’ book.

Then see if your child can guess what made each shape.

After your child successfully figures out what made each shape, let them create their own colorful silhouettes.

For younger children you may want to have a variety of mostly flat items already on hand.  (Try a key, roll of tape, comb, spoon, and a few small toys.)   Toddlers and young preschoolers may need help holding the item still as they trace around it.

Older kids will  have fun going on a scavenger hunt for items to trace.  Mine tried very hard to find items that would stump me!

Other Activities for The Shape of Me and Other Stuff:

• Grab a bright light and use items to create shadows on the wall with your child.  Talk about how the shadows change depending on how you place them in the light.
• Make simple shadow puppets and put on a puppet show.
• If it’s a sunny day, try this sun fading activity to make shapes. 

We love doing crafts and activities to go with our favorite books!   It is a wonderful way to make reading more fun for kids and bring books to life.

If you liked our The Shape of Me and Other Stuff activity, you may also like:  

• Yertle the Turtle Game 
• 15 Dr. Seuss Activities for Older Kids
• Subtraction Squish — Hands on activity to teach subtraction
• Craft Stick Catapults — Fun STEM activity for all ages