Book Week Is Just One Week Away

It’s the final countdown! In one short week, CBCA Book Week will sweep through classrooms and libraries across Australia, and I could not be more excited. This year’s theme, Book an Adventure, has brought out the best in our readers, our creators and our staffroom costume choices. If you are doing a last tidy-up of plans, I have good news: the Learn From Play library now has forty‑five complete sets of Book Week activities live and ready to download!

These sets cover a wide range of CBCA notable and shortlisted titles, so you can match activities to the books your students are actually seeing on displays and hearing about in your lessons. Each set is practical and classroom‑tested. You will find quick comprehension tasks, creative responses, writing prompts that move from talk to text, and hands‑on options for classes that learn best when they are cutting, sorting and building. If you are new to the site, the Book Activities and Maths ’N’ Movement sections are clearly separated, so you can jump straight to what you need and download the full pack for a book in one go.

I have also released our new Book Week bookmarks! Think of them as five‑minute fillers that still deliver learning. Slip a set into your pocket for borrowing sessions, hand them out at the door for a calm start, or pop a basket of them on the circulation desk for lunchtime readers. Students can use a bookmark to record a prediction before you read, capture a golden line they loved, hunt for three new words and their meanings, sketch the setting, or note how a character is feeling and why. They keep minds on the story while giving you quick evidence of understanding, and they travel home to spark conversations with families.

If you need whole‑school moments, the bookmarks work beautifully as a roaming challenge. Invite students to collect different designs across the week, one from the library, one from their classroom, one from a buddy class, then bring them back for a simple prize or a photo wall. It builds momentum without adding more to your to‑do list.

For those planning lunchtime or rainy‑day sessions, the bookmarks are a great anchor. Pair a quiet reading corner with a passport stamp, a spot‑the‑difference, or a quick maze from the Book an Adventure extras, then send students off proudly with their completed bookmark tucked inside a borrowed book. It is fast, friendly and keeps the focus on reading for pleasure.

If you are still deciding where to start, I suggest choosing two or three books your students already love, downloading the matching Learn From Play packs, and printing a handful of bookmarks to use with any early finishers. Read, respond, reflect, repeat. You will cover comprehension, vocabulary and writing while keeping the week light and joyful.

As always, I am here, cheering you on, and making sure the resources do the heavy lifting for you. I will also be available for any questions you may have Live this Friday on Facebook at 4pm. Register your interest now on Facebook and let me know of any tricky questions you may want answered so I can make sure I have the answers for you, be it book-week, book related, or just teacher related!

Warmly,

Rachel McCann 

Learn From Play Founder