Harold and the Purple Crayon Unit ~ Discussion Questions & Activities
Harold and the Purple Crayon Discussion Questions:
Some are straight forward comprehension questions and others rely on the child to think a little bit deeper.
1. What time of day does Harold take his walk? (evening)
2. What does Harold draw for himself that he believes he needs? (moon to see and path not to get lost)
3. How many trees are in the forest that Harold draws? (1) Why does he draw this many? (so he doesn’t get lost)
4. What does Harold draw to protect his apple tree? (a “frightening dragon”)
5. What does Harold draw due to his hand shaking? (the ocean)
6. What does Harold draw to help him in the ocean? (a “trim boat”)
7. What does Harold have to eat for his picnic? (9 pies, his favorites) What is your favorite kind of pie? What would you chose for your picnic?
8. Why is Harold so tired? (he had a long journey/adventure/trip)
Harold and the Purple Crayon Writing Activities:
For writing practice I created a Harold Lined Paper Writing Sheet.
Here are some suggestions of things you can ask your child to write:
1. Write one or more sentences summarizing the story.
2. Write one or more sentences about why you liked or did not like this story.
3. Pick one or more favorite sentences from the book to copy.
This was Ava’s favorite sentence and picture in the book. She even counted all the windows in the picture!
Harold and the Purple Crayon Arts & Crafts:
1. Use a large piece of paper, poster board, white board, butcher paper and a purple crayon. Have your child either draw what they would have drawn if they were Harold, or have them draw a scene from Harold and the Purple Crayon.
2. Try this Harold and the Purple Crayon Chalk Pastel Activity from HodgePodege
3. Print out and color these FREE Harold Coloring Sheets that I created for Ava to color.
4. Another variation of a one color art activity I found online.
For further reading and Harold fun:
Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) was so popular that he inspired a whole series:
Harold’s Fairy Tale (Further Adventures of with the Purple Crayon)
Harold’s Trip to the Sky
Harold at the North Pole (1958)
Harold’s Circus (Purple Crayon Books)
A Picture for Harold’s Room
Harold’s ABC (Purple Crayon Book)
Other fun online resources/activities:
2. Watch How Crayola Crayons Are Made:
3. Watch this Harold Video:
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October 3, 2012 @ 6:06 pm
Wow, what a fun activity and learning experience. I will send this to my children.
Blessings for this one!
October 30, 2012 @ 4:45 pm
We love Harold! I also just love your blog!!! You have so much great info on here and it is just so cute! Stop by the hive when you can!
October 30, 2012 @ 4:57 pm
Thank you so much Jonie for the wonderful compliments! I had never read Harold before this, I was less enthused than my 6 year old. But she totally loved him and it was an imaginative story.
October 30, 2012 @ 10:26 pm
I remember Harold from my school days, but sadly I don’t think I have introduced my kids to him. Great resources here and fun learning! I’m pinning this post for future reference! Thanks for sharing on NOBH!
February 1, 2013 @ 6:41 am
Thank you so much for your idea of activities. I will try them with my kids. I will visit your blog again, cause it is so wonderful.
February 1, 2013 @ 2:42 pm
Thank you Jeen. I am so glad like my Harold activities. Each unit I post has already been tried and tested on my own child. There may be some things included in each unit that we didn’t use (but thought would be good to pass along), but for the most part I post what we have done and liked.
March 12, 2014 @ 9:40 am
These are wonderful ideas, I will have to do them with my little one! I would love if you shared this at the Anything Goes link-up! 🙂 http://www.joyfocusedlearning.com/2014/03/anything-goes-16.html
March 12, 2014 @ 9:44 am
Thank you Angela. This is a book my daughter loved. I will definitely check out the Anything Goes Link-Up.
March 18, 2014 @ 11:23 pm
One of my favorite books ever!
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