Printable Masks and Books to go with them
Halloween is just around the corner, and with it comes hours and hours of creative dress-up play. Whether or not you love Halloween (creepy costumes just aren’t my thing!), it’s a natural time to let kids use their imagination to be transported to another time or place where they are someone, or something, else.
A simple mask makes the perfect entry to a whole new world of unusual creatures and new experiences. And if they have to make the mask themselves, with no prep on your part, even better. We’ve created three beautiful, easy-to-make masks your children are sure to love.
Parents, give your child the option of a dragon, a toucan, or a robot, and print the black and white version if they are going to color it, or the full color version for a done-for-you mask. Not only will the mask spark hours of creative play, it makes a great last minute Halloween costume with a monochrome outfit and a few simple decorations.
Teachers, these masks make filling those last few minutes of bell-to-bell work delightful. Your students can follow simple directions to color, cut, and assemble their masks – then the real creativity will begin.
Librarians, these masks pair with story time perfectly! Create the masks before story time and let the kids act out sections. Or, engage in simple mask-making after you’ve read them a related story to unlock maximum creativity. You’ll love how the masks make stories come to life.
Toucan Mask
Click here to go to our post with the free printable toucan mask. It’s black and white, and easy to make copies of.
Or, grab the full-colored version of the toucan mask here in the Etsy shop.
These masks are the perfect compliment to Yes, You Can! Said the Toucan, a delightful book about conquering your fears and believing in yourself.
Want to know exactly how to assemble the mask? Watch this video.
Robot Mask
Kids love robots! Match these adorable robot masks with your favorite robot book, and your kids will be walking and talking like robots! The robot masks are part of our robot craft pack here on Etsy.
Robot Books to go with the robot masks:
- The Wild Robot – Wonderful read-aloud (or independent book for older readers)
- Little Robot – Delightful and charming graphic novel (perfect for reluctant readers)
- Robots (National Geographic Reader) -Fun and educational non-fiction book about robots in the real world
- Welcome to Your Awesome Robot – This book is sadly no longer in print, but my kids loved this one and had so much fun building a robot with it. (If you know of anything like this book, please email me and let me know!)
Dragon Masks
Dragons are all the rage right now! Include these not-too-scary dragon masks from our Etsy shop when you’re reading the next dragon book for instant creative fun. One of our kids even paired this dragon mask with a set of homemade wings for his Halloween costume this year.
We have a whole post on the blog of dragon book series we love here.
Happy crafting and reading!
