Many wonderful children’s books were adapted into movies in recent years. This summer try reading the book with your children, then watching the movie and having a discussion. Alternatively, you could have kids write and share a movie review or have them summarize the plot in a tweet using only 280 characters. Go even further with worksheets and structured discussion questions provided in the links below. Talking about movies is a fun way to connect with children, but it can also help them to learn.

Your local library may have pairs of books and movies ready to borrow. Choosing to read books turned into movies may inspire reluctant readers. You don’t even need to read the book before watching the movie. Perhaps your child saw a film they really enjoyed that was adapted from a book. This could be a great opportunity to read the book and compare and contrast with the film.  

Movies spark a lot of creative interest in viewers. Which filming locations were chosen and why? How were casting decisions made? Was the author involved in the production of the movie? Were certain colours or types of lighting used to convey an emotion? These questions can lead the viewer down a fascinating road of discovery. Perhaps you could even obtain a copy of the script. Script reading is an interesting change from reading books and could spark some further creative inquiry. Use script reading to practise reading aloud and gaining fluency. Film and TV scripts become more accessible the older the title becomes. Search for scripts on sites such as The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb). Even more creative ideas for movie viewing this summer are included the links below.

Activities to get the most out of your summer movie viewing

• 6 Ways to Make the Most of Classroom Movies 
• Compare and Contrast A Book and Movie Activities 
• The Movie vs. The Book Compare and Contrast Organizer 
• Using Film To Teach Reading and Literacy 

A selection of recent TV series and movies adapted from books

• Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, released on June 18th. Based on The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. 
• Boss Baby: Family Business, released on July 2nd. Based on The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee.
• Black Widow, released on July 9th. Based on Marvel Comics’ Black Widow comic books.
• Coming September 17th, 2021: Clifford the Big Red Dog based on the Clifford the Big Red Dog series of books by Norman Bridwell.
• Released in 2020: 
  • Artemis Fowl based on the first book of the The Fowl Adventures series by Eoin Colfer.
  • The One and Only Ivan based on the children’s novel of the same name by Katherine Applegate.

Need more variety? See the lists below for more titles to explore. 

Movie adaptations for children

• 50 Kids Books That Are Movies 
• Huge List of Children’s Books Adapted Into Movies 
• Popular Children’s Books Turned Into Movies 
• 50 Tween & Teen Books Made Into Movies 
• Teen Books Made into Movies