Explore Characters with a Crafty Concertina!

If you’re looking for a new and interactive way of exploring character traits with your students, you’re in luck!

This craft activity will engage your little learners while teaching them all about how adjectives are used in stories to describe the internal and external traits of characters.

Keen on learning more about how you might use this character concertina in your classroom? We suggest following the process below.

1. After enjoying a shared reading experience of a fairy tale, traditional tale or other text of your choice, choose one of the main characters.
2. Discuss how adjectives are used to give information about this character within the story.
3. Identify adjectives within the text.
4. Brainstorm additional adjectives that describe your chosen character.
5. Complete the steps to create a character concertina.
6. Make a vibrant classroom display with your students’ character concertinas!

Easily Make a Character Adjective Concertina

Making a character concertina is easy when you follow the simple steps below!

1. Choose adjectives to describe the appearance and personality of your chosen character.
2. Write one adjective in each box.
3. Cut along the dotted lines.
4. Fold along the bold lines.
5. Draw hair and facial features to represent your chosen character.
6. Cut out and stick on the head, arms and legs.

Give Them the (Safety) Scissors 

This template makes for a bonus cutting skills activity, depending on your students’ ages and abilities.

Cutting works multiple muscle groups in our students’ growing hands and fingers. It also:

• Strengthens finger and hand muscles
• Builds dexterity and fine motor skills
• Improves hand-eye coordination
• Develop focus and attention

All of these skills are necessary to use a pencil and a fork; button a shirt and tie shoes; write, type and swipe.

Download and Print — It’s Child’s Play! 

This resource is available to download in black and white – no need for a color printer!

You might like to print this resource on cardstock for added durability if you are going to use it for a classroom display.