Books provide entertainment, education, and even escape for people of all ages. As many of us find ourselves spending more time at home than perhaps ever before, we want to present a few activities that fall “outside the pages”.

Share your book-related activities with us by tagging @hidden_shelf on Instagram!

For Kids

1. Read every picture book in the house.

2. Sort picture books by theme, or author, or color.

3. Pick a book and rewrite or retell the ending.

4. Write and illustrate your own story.

5. Trace or draw characters from your favorite stories and color the pictures — send your art to friends and relatives.

For Teens

1. Read a short story, then complete a reading comprehension quiz.

2. Create a “blind date” profile for a book(s), then send it out to friends and family and see if they can guess the title of the book. Or create a dating profile for a character from a book, and see if others can guess the character.

3. Create a map from a favorite book — either a map of characters and their relation to one another, or a map of the setting in which the book takes place.

4. Print out portions of lyrics from songs and excerpts from poems. Try to determine which is from a poem and which is from a song.

5. Guess who game — write the names of popular literary characters and authors on pieces of paper, then draw one out of the pile. Try to get someone to guess who your character is, using only yes or no answers. 

For Adults

1. Reorganize your books, sort by author, color, or genre. 

2. Sort books — create a donation pile so that you can clear space on the shelves for new books.

3. Create a book exchange with a few close friends, take a book off your shelf and send it in the mail, or drop it off outside their door. (be sure to wipe down the book you send and the book you receive).

4. Create recipes from food or drinks mentioned in a book. 

5. Most adult books don’t have illustrations, create your own illustration for books you love. 

6. If you don’t have one yet, create a “to be read” book list.

7. If you don’t already have one, start a Goodreads account and write reviews for books you’ve read. 

8. Write Amazon reviews for books you’ve read. Reviews help authors gain exposure and help their books appear more often through algorithms. It is a simple way to help out authors, especially debut authors and authors from smaller publishers. 

9. Find a suitable chapter book for your family and start a family reading time. Gather everyone around and read through a chapter. Then discuss what you think will happen next. Or read stories to your nieces, nephews, friends, grandchildren, etc. over skype or facetime. 

10. Utilize online shopping for books so that you don’t have to leave the house, limiting your social interactions. Many local and independent bookstores also offer online shopping(or curbside pick up) and will greatly appreciate your business. Another option is to buy gift cards to your favorite local bookstore to help support their business right now. Then when you (or whoever you present the gift card to) are able to go back to the physical store, the gift card can be redeemed at that time.