Book Week ideas for OSHC
42 DIY activities for a book week at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around Any time / Winter or Book Week (August). Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Blanket Fort Building
Teams engineer cosy forts from sheets, chairs and pegs, then read inside them. Building, teamwork and quiet time in one.
Book Week · Superhero Day · Fairy Tale Day +2Book Character Parade
Children dress up as a favourite book character and parade for each other, celebrating stories and reading.
Fairy Tale Day · Book Week · Dramatic Play Day +1Character Charades
Children act out a story character without words while their team races to guess who it is.
Fairy Tale Day · Book Week · Dramatic Play Day +1Character Dress-Up Parade
Children dress as a favourite story character and walk a red carpet while others guess who they are.
Halloween · Dramatic Play Day · Superhero Day +1Costume Parade
Children dress up in spooky or silly costumes and walk a parade route while everyone cheers.
Book Week · Mindfulness Day · Cubby Day +3Cosy Cushion Reading Den
Children relax with books in a cushioned den, enjoying quiet reading in a calm, inviting space.
Superhero Day · Book Week · Silly Stories DayDesign Your Own Superhero
Children invent an original hero with a name, power, weakness and origin story, then draw a profile card.
Emoji Day · Puzzle Day · Escape Room Day +1Emoji Story Decoder
Children decode titles of well-known stories, songs and sayings written only in emoji, then write their own puzzles.
Fairy Tale Day · Dramatic Play Day · Book Week +2Fairy Tale Retelling
Small groups choose a well-known fairy tale and act it out with props, adding their own twist to the ending.
Fantasy Quest Club · Mythical Creatures · Book Week +1Fantasy Character Creation
Children invent their own fantasy hero, rolling dice to set their skills and writing a short backstory.
Book Week · Fairy Tale Day · Silly Stories Day +2Felt Board Story Retelling
Younger children retell favourite stories by moving felt characters and props on a board, building narrative and language skills.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Book Week +1First Nations Story Retelling
Children listen to a story by First Nations authors, then retell it through art or drama in their own way.
Book Week · Silly Stories Day · Paper Crafts Day +2Folded Mini Book Making
Children write and illustrate their own small folded books, becoming authors and illustrators for the day.
Teddy Bears' Picnic · Dramatic Play Day · Book Week +1Going on a Bear Hunt
Children act out a bear hunt adventure, moving through pretend long grass, sticky mud, a river and a dark cave before racing home.
Superhero Day · Book Week · Silly Stories Day +1Hero Comic Strips
Older children plan and draw a four-panel comic where their own hero solves a local problem.
Book Week · Detective Day · Treasure Hunters Day +2Hidden Character Search
Small printed pictures of a stripy-shirted character are hidden around the room for children to find, sharpening observation skills.
Mythical Creatures · Lost Creatures · Dinosaur & Unicorn Day +2Invent a Mythical Creature
Children dream up their own mythical creature, draw it and describe its habitat, diet and special powers.
Silly Stories Day · Chocolate Day · Inventors Day +1Invent a New Sweet
Children dream up a brand new lolly or chocolate, give it a silly name and describe how it tastes and what it does.
Book Week · Children's Week · Cubby Day +1Library Visit and Book Nook
Children visit the school library to borrow books, then help set up a cosy reading nook back at the service.
Book Week · Games Day · Children's Week +1Musical Spots Book Walk
Children walk around numbered spots to music and, when it stops, a number is drawn; the child on that spot chooses a book to keep.
Greek Myths Day · Dramatic Play Day · Book Week +1Myth Retelling Play
Children read an ancient Greek myth in small groups and act it out with simple props for an audience.
Book Week · Silly Stories Day · Rhyme Time Day +2Newspaper Word Collage
Older children cut words from newspapers and magazines to build silly sentences and poems, playing with language.
Wizard School Day · Book Week · Kindness Day +2Owl Post Letters
Children write letters to friends or educators that are delivered by a pretend owl post service around the room.
Book Week · Craft Day · Under the Sea +2Picture Book Craft Response
Younger children listen to a picture book and then make a craft linked to the story, deepening their connection to it.
International Day of Peace · Gardening Day · Book Week +2Pressed Flower Bookmarks
Children arrange pressed flowers and leaves on card and laminate them into bookmarks to keep or give.
Puppet Day · Dramatic Play Day · Book Week +2Puppet Show
Children write and perform a short puppet show behind a puppet theatre. Builds storytelling and confidence.
Before School Calm Start · Book Week · Big Kids Club +1Quiet Homework Corner
A quiet corner with desks and books gives older children a calm space to read or finish homework with an educator nearby.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Book Week +1Reconciliation Reading Corner
Children help set up a calm, respectful display of picture books and resources sourced from local First Nations organisations, then spend time reading and exploring it.
Movie Day · Film Club Day · Book Week +2Rewrite the Ending
After a movie, groups rewrite or act out a new ending or retell the story from another character's view.
Cooking Day · Junior Chef Challenge · Book Week +2Service Cookbook
After each cooking session children write up and illustrate the recipe for a growing service cookbook.
Musical Theatre Day · Dramatic Play Day · Book Week +1Short Scene Script Reading
Children read short scripts in small groups, choose roles and act out the scenes with expression.
Rhyme Time Day · Book Week · Silly Stories Day +1Silly Rhyme Games
Children play quick rhyming games, making up silly words and chains of rhymes for others to continue.
Wacky Wednesday · Silly Stories Day · Book Week +1Silly Story Chain
Children take turns adding one sentence to a story that gets sillier with every turn, then read the finished tale aloud.
Book Week · Film Club Day · Movie Day +2Stop-Motion Book Scene
Older children work in groups to animate a scene from a favourite book using tablets, props and a stop-motion app.
Diwali · Book Week · Culture Celebration Day +1Story of Light
Children listen to a story about Diwali and talk about what light over darkness and good over bad mean to them.
Book Week · Sensory Day · Fairy Tale Day +2Story Small-World Tray
Younger children build a small-world tray based on a favourite book using sand, figurines and natural items, then play out the story.
Movie Day · Film Club Day · Book Week +1Storyboard Workshop
Children plan a film scene in comic-style panels, sketching shots and writing dialogue.
Rhyme Time Day · Book Week · Crazy Hat DayStriped Rhyme Hats
Children make tall striped card hats inspired by rhyming picture books, then wear them for a rhyme-time reading session.
Book Week · Craft Day · Paper Crafts Day +2Tasselled Bookmark Making
Children design and decorate their own bookmarks with ribbon tassels, encouraging them to keep reading.
Book Week · Under the Sea · World Oceans Day +2Under the Sea Reading Day
Children read ocean-themed books together and then make ocean crafts inspired by what they read.
Enchanted Forest · Book Week · Nature Play Day +2Under-the-Tree Storytelling
Children sit in a circle under a tree and build a magical forest story together, one sentence at a time.
Winter Wonderland · Book Week · Seasons Day +1Winter Story Time
Children read a selection of winter-themed picture books and compare the stories, settings and illustrations.