“What Do You Do With a Chance?”

“What Do You Do With a Chance?” by Kobi Yamada and Mac Besom

This book is the long awaited finale to the beloved trilogy by Kobi.  We loved the first two “What Do You Do With an Idea?” and “What Do You Do With a Problem?” so much that I simply couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!  It is everything I hoped it would be and more.

In this story our young protagonist is learning about the nature of chances.  They don’t always come when expect and missing out on them can lead you to wondering what you are missing out on.  However, taking hold of a chance can be exhilarating and reward you with fantastic new experiences.

I love how Mac plays around with color in this book, like the previous ones in the series.  “Chances” appear as origami butterflies/airplanes (I’m honestly not too sure which it is!) that are bright and golden and almost seem to cast color and illumination on those around them.  It is a poignant and beautiful book with a lot to share in the way of life lessons and encouragement.

Click here to purchase “What Do You Do With a Chance?” *affiliate link

Writing Activity

I love all the many layers and applications that this book is a fabulous “springboard” for.  Especially the message that you should never be afraid to take a chance.  Because of its metaphorical nature I believe that this book explains the nature of chances in a way that can be easier for children to understand.  Which is especially wonderful for such an abstract concept.

That is why I thought a reflective writing/journaling activity would be a strong companion to this book.  I created a printable (free for personal and educational use) that you can download below that prompts children to write about a time that they took a chance.  It is open ended and really just a place for them to reflect and record.

My thoughts on how they could be used together would be to introduce the book first and discuss the characteristics of a “chance”.  Then, invite you child (or your class) to be on the lookout for chances over the following week and to make a goal to take one.  Afterwards they are invited to reflect and write about their experience on the writing sheet.  You could then invite children to share or just allow them to keep it private.

A few other ideas I had with these sheets were to print off a bunch of them to make a “Take a Chance” notebook for kids to continue to record their experiences with “chances” or to fold them up into paper airplanes to make a mobile or hang around the classroom as inspiration.  (Inspired by the flying origami “chance” in the book.) You can even print the sheets off on bright neon yellow paper like I did above.  Why not?!  Have a little fun with it!

Snag the free download: I took a chance…

Looking for a printable for the first two books in the series? (“What Do You Do With an Idea?” and “What Do You Do With a Problem?”)  FIND THEM HERE!

If you give this Beyond the Book activity a try I’d love to hear how it goes! Share it on Instagram using hashtag #beyondthebook (I’m on Instagram as @book.nerd.mommy) or even just comment here with your thoughts. It would make my day! Or to simply save for later pin the image below.