Much-Loved Velveteen Rabbit

Much-Loved Velveteen Rabbit lesson plan

The Velveteen Rabbit longs for the days when he was the most important toy in the playroom. Draw your favorite scenes to show how he was worn out from lots of love.

  • 1.

    Read The Velveteen Rabbit. Notice how through pictures you can see the rabbit become more shabby and worn.

  • 2.

    On white construction paper, draw two Velveteen Rabbits using Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils. Make one rabbit look brand new, clean and crisp. Make the second one look shabby. The bow around his neck could look perfect or torn and tattered, for example. If you change your mind, just erase and draw again.

  • 3.

    Cover your art area with newspaper. Color the rabbits using Crayola Oil Pastels. Cut them out with Crayola Scissors.

  • 4.

    Fold a large piece of white construction paper in half. With your colored pencils, draw a setting when the rabbit was a new toy in the playroom. Show a second scene when he was shabby, worn, and sad after being discarded. Fill in your drawings using oil pastels. Decorate them with Crayola Glitter Glue.

  • 5.

    With Crayola School Glue, attach each rabbit to a small piece of foam or cardboard. Glue the rabbits onto the background. Air-dry the glue before displaying.

Benefits

  • Students read or listen to the children’s classic tale of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
  • Students realize how the passage of time changes things and can be ascertained by reading words or by looking for clues in pictures.
  • Students demonstrate, through the use of a two-part drawing, a young Velveteen Rabbit and then a much older and worn rabbit.

Adaptations

  • Create a two-sided poster with each side showing things young and old: a baby and an old man, a seed and an apple, a new house and an old one.
  • Show a progression of one item as it goes from new to old. Choose a tree, a baby animal, a pet, or a book.
  • Do you have a favorite toy? Write a short story about it. Draw a scene with you and your favorite toy.
  • Assessment: Ask children to describe their drawings and point out the differences and similarities in the two scenes.