Creative Corner - Homemade Comic Books

I’m always trying to think of creative ways to spend time with my boys.  My oldest son Big-A has an incredibly creative mind.  He’s my little “Robert Munsch”, having the ability to tell fascinating stories filled with interesting characters and storylines.  He’s been a story-teller since his first spoken word.

From ages 2 to 3, when Big-A loved The Wiggles more than anything else, I would draw a road on a piece of white paper, and draw a Big Red Car.  His job would be to draw the four Wiggles in the car, their friends (Dorothy, etc) on the grass, and add trees, flowers, bugs and birds to the landscape.  We would then talk about colours, sing Wiggles songs, and he would spend hours driving his Hot Wheels cars along the road.  Creating an interactive storyboard was so much fun!

At age 3, Big-A was introduced to Super Mario Bros, as well as comic books.  He would watch his older friends play DS, and during free play time he would pretend to be Mario stomping on Goombas.  During one rainy day, I was trying to think of a fun craft to keep Big-A entertained.  He’d had enough of Playdoh, Lego and stickers.  I sat down with him and started drawing black comic squares on a piece of white paper.  Together, we drew Mario characters in each of the squares, creating a story.  We drew comic ‘bubbles’ and I wrote action words for him.  This quickly became a regular activity for us.

Today, Big-A draws his own squares, pictures and bubbles.  He even writes his own action words.  He creates original Star Wars or Mario battles, and sometimes creates adventures with his little brother Lil-J.  His most recent comic featured his favourite ‘cottage’ things.  These homemade stories are a permanent part of our lives, and I look forward to watching them evolve as Big-A grows.  I also look forward to helping Lil-J join in the fun, watching his first drawings create a story of his own.

  

Children have infinite imaginations.  Use their interests to your advantage, encouraging imaginative play.  A simple homemade comic has helped to improve Big-A's drawing, writing, and story-telling skills.  Try creating comics with your child.  You’ll be amazed at how creative your little story-teller is!

Big-A's 'favourite things at the cottage' comic.