Take storytime into the backyard this summer with a themed picnic lunch. One of our favorite picnic books is Mickey Mouse’s Picnic.
Flowers are beginning to bloom, and the sun is shining. That means it’s time to take our books outdoors.
Backyard picnic ideas for kids
I recently found Mickey Mouse’s Picnic book in a packing box. Inspired by it, I put together a picnic for the kids. We spread a picnic blanket on the grass in our backyard and enjoyed a yummy lunch together while I read Mickey Mouse’s Picnic.
Note: This article was originally written by me for the website Rusty and Rosy, however, that website has been taken offline.
Just like the story we were reading, the kids enjoyed sandwiches, pink lemonade, and a big chocolate cake.
Pairing snacks and lunches with books make reading more fun for kids, and their attention will be held a little longer. Plus, they will love watching the characters in the book eating the same thing that they are enjoying, and you just might get lucky that this encourages your child to try new foods too.
I think we’ll be doing this a lot more over the spring and summer months. This means it’s time to break out the cookie and sandwich cutters for fun-shaped sandwiches to go with our stories too.
Whether you are reading books about dinosaurs, flowers, princesses, or animals, you can cut sandwiches into amazing, themed shapes for the kids to enjoy while you read to them. For sandwiches that require lunch meat or cheese, prepare the sandwich, including the filling, and then cut with the cookie or sandwich cutter. For all other fillings such as peanut butter and jelly, or chicken, egg, and tuna salad, cut the bread into the shape, and then add your filling.
You can also match fruit and vegetable snacks with books such as The Hungry Caterpillar, Gregory the Terrible Eater, and Diary of a Wombat.
More backyard picnic ideas
Are you looking for more backyard picnic ideas for this summer? Take a look at these:
- Picnic crafts that are perfect for backyard picnics
- The best picnic essentials
- 5 backyard entertaining ideas for summer
- A picnic themed backyard entertaining table
What is your child’s favorite book? Could you pair a snack or lunch with it? If you need any ideas don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below, I’d be happy to help.
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