Paper Vs Crayon in the Classroom

Inspiring kids to draw, read and create their own stories

One of the best parts of making Paper VS Crayon has been seeing what happens when the book lands in a classroom.

After reading the story, kids started drawing their own favourite moments, imagining what Paper and Crayon might do next, and creating stories of their own.

That was another idea behind the book — not just to finish a story, but to help start another one.

From reading to creating

Paper VS Crayon is a simple story about two very different characters.

Crayon loves to draw on everything.

Paper likes things neat.

At first, that makes friendship a little tricky.

But by working together, they discover that being different can actually help them create something better.

The story can be used as a starting point for classroom conversations about:

  • creativity
  • friendship
  • problem solving
  • working together
  • accepting different ideas
  • storytelling and imagination

What would you create?

After reading Paper VS Crayon, invite kids to continue the adventure.

They could:

  • draw their favourite part of the story
  • invent a new Paper or Crayon character
  • imagine what happens next
  • create a problem for the characters to solve
  • make their own four-step story

There is no perfect drawing and no single right ending.

The important part is giving kids the confidence to put an idea on paper and see where it goes.

Much love! kids of Bateau Bay Public School! Keep drawing. Keep imagining. Keep creating!

A simple way to make a story

We use four simple steps:

1. Create your characters
Who is your story about?

2. Give them a problem
What goes wrong?

3. Find a solution
How could they fix it?

4. Finish… or begin again
How does the story end? Or does another adventure begin?

Made with kids, for kids

Paper VS Crayon began with drawings, scribbles, jokes and ideas between a dad and his kids.

Seeing children in classrooms respond by making their own drawings and stories has been one of the most rewarding parts of the project.

Because sometimes the best thing a book can do is make a child want to pick up a crayon and create something themselves.

Keep drawing.

Keep reading.

Keep creating.