Amelia Bedelia Party: 10 Amazing Activities & Crafts
It’s always a great time to celebrate this classic character! Use these crafts and activities at your next elementary book club, book party, for Amelia Bedelia’s birthday (January 29, 1963), or any time. In addition to the original stories, the Young Amelia picture books and the Amelia Bedelia & Friends chapter books are perfect for readers ages 4 to 8. Use these fun ideas to spark joy in your readers and bring the stories to life. I’ve personally field-tested them in an hour-long program for 25 kids ages 4 to 8 with a budget of $75. It was a blast, and even older siblings and adults joined the fun.
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish Read Aloud
Gather kiddos for a reading of Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Edition) by Peggy Parish or the original book. Both editions have small illustrations but work great for a school-age group. Projecting the pages on a screen while reading would be a nice touch but not required. Follow up the reading with some silly dancing!
“Spaghetti Legs” Movement Song by Jim Gill
Jim Gill’s silly and wonderful “Spaghetti Legs” is my favorite song to pair with Amelia Bedelia. Here is an introduction to the song to help you transition from the story:
“Amelia misunderstood a lot of Mrs. Roger’s directions! She tends to take phrases literally. For example, if I say, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” what would Amelia think?… That cats and dogs are falling from the sky! What if you told her your arms are made of spaghetti?… We’re going to do some silly dancing and pretend WE’RE made of spaghetti!”
Following this silly song, release attendees to enjoy the following activity stations at their leisure.
Amelia Bedelia Bonnet & Bow Tie Craft
I love a good wearable craft. Print these Bonnet Templates from HarperCollins on cardstock and set them out with crayons, scissors, hole punchers, yarn, and the embellishments of your choice. These Foam Flower Stickers from Michaels were a hit. You could also precut or print out cardstock bow ties. Punch two holes on either side of the bow’s center for string.
Illustrate Your Own Amelia Bedelia Mini Book
Challenge attendees to become illustrators with this printable book. Before the event, I used teen volunteers to assemble the booklets by folding and stapling them. Set the booklets out with colored pencils and instruct attendees to create illustrations for these three idioms:
- Give me a hand.
- It’s raining cats and dogs.
- Hold your horses.
Amelia Bedelia Measuring Rice Sensory Station
In the original Amelia Bedelia book, Amelia is told to “Measure two cups of rice.” She does this by filling two cups with rice and measuring their height with measuring tape! Set out a sensory bin filled with rice, measuring cups, and measuring tape (or rulers) and challenge kids to measure cups of rice…aka play.
Amelia Bedelia Rhyming Names
​Create rhyming names like Amelia Bedelia! Set out name tag stickers and markers for attendees to create their own rhyming names, such as Marta Smarta, Lilly Tilly, and Evelyn Bevelyn. I like these Methdic 5 Color Sticky Name Tags Stickers from Amazon and use them in various programs including book clubs, baby storytimes, etc.
DIY Clay Animals
In Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School, Miss Edwards asks the students to sculpt their favorite animal and tell the class what they like about that animal. Challenge attendees to do the same by setting out balls of Crayola Air Dry Clay or Play-Doh!
Make a Kite Craft
In Good Work, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia flies a kite! Make these adorable kites from the blog Coffee Cups and Crayons. Supplies needed include construction paper, tape, yarn, toilet paper tubes, wooden skewers, and twist ties.
Amelia Bedelia Worksheets
Visit AmeliaBedeliaBooks.com for fun printables, including this Word Scramble or Bookworm Maze.
Amelia Bedelia Party Treats: Lemon Meringue or Apple Pie
In Peggy Parish’s original Amelia Bedelia book, Amelia bakes a lemon meringue pie, which is also featured in the classic cover illustration. Herman Parrish’s Young Amelia series includes the book Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie, so either pie option works perfectly for a party celebrating Amelia. Lemon meringue pie is a true treat, as few kiddos have tried it, but apple pie is a great option and may be easier to find at your local grocery store. Pro tip: Cut and plate tiny slices before the event to make it easier for attendees to quickly take a piece and to avoid little hands contaminating a whole pie.
Pie is an expensive snack, but it’s so worth it! To help with the cost, ask a local bakery if they’re willing to donate pies or seek out an event sponsor.
Amelia Bedelia Costume
And if you’re one of those crazy costume librarians, you can put together an Amelia Bedelia costume with this Felt Bonnet and White Retro Apron from Amazon.
More Resources
Activities from AmeliaBedeliaBooks.com
So many amazing ideas and activity sheets that if you started here, you probably wouldn’t need my post!
Read-Alikes
If your patrons love the Amelia Bedelia series, make sure they know about the Young Amelia picture book series and Amelia Bedelia & Friends chapter book series. They’ll also enjoy:
Visit The Youth Desk’s Programs page for more event ideas and outlines!
