The Three Little Pigs Kindergarten and Preschool Activities and Lesson Plans

Week 1 plans focused on introducing the children to a variety of fairy tales and their story elements and the concept that fairy tales can teach valuable life lessons.

Character Virtue Lessons Within Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales offer a wonderful opportunity to incorporate the positive character virtues that are encouraged. Exposing children to these positive character virtues through literature (fairy tales) will be the focus in weeks 2, 3 and 4 in the theme book.

The Wolf Shows Self-Control Emergent Reader

After reading the traditional version of "The Three Little Pigs" the teacher will introduce the word self-control and initiate a discussion on what would have happened in the story if the wolf would have shown self-control. The emergent reader "The Wolf Shows Self-Control" will be used to model the reading process and introduce children to the possible outcome if the wolf would have used self-control. The story could be made into a big book, written on sentence strips and displayed in a pocket chart, overhead transparency or chart paper.The illustrations are done in a cartoon format and will delight the children. The story line is simple and displayed below:

The wolf came to the little pig's straw house.

He huffed and puffed but he didn't blow.

The wolf came to the little pig's stick house.

He huffed and puffed but he didn't blow.

The wolf came to the little pig's brick house.

He huffed and puffed but he didn't blow.

He received an award for using self-control.

A big celebration was held!

Sample Page from the Emergent Reader

Large Sample Picture Used for the Big Book

Note: other versions of the story would be read throughout the week.

The photograph displays how a big book could be made using the larger illustrations. The pictures were colored and glued on poster board. The pages could be laminated and bound and used year after year.

The Three Little Pigs Craft Activities

Kindergarten and Preschool Craft Activity One - Wolf and Pig Puppets

The children can paint or color the wolf and pig templates found in the theme book. After they are dry, the parts are cut and glued together. A straw can be attached to use as a puppet. These templates have also been designed to fit on a paper bag. These can be used for acting out the story.

Math Center Activities

Week one activities would still be used in addition to the suggestions below.

Math and Craft Activity

The Three Little Pig's Houses

This activity incorporates both math and craft skills. The template of the house (found in the theme unit) is colored and cut out. Children predict how many bricks (construction paper squares), straws (drinking straws cut) or sticks (toothpicks) would it take to cover the house. Have the children count that many and glue them on. They can see how close they were in covering the house (this indirectly teaches the concept of area).

Fairy Tale Theme - Literacy Centers

Week one activities would continue in addition to the ones listed below.

Kindergarten and Preschool Activity One - Emergent Reader

A line could be drawn in the middle of each page of the emergent reader prior to copying. The children would cut on this line and sort the pages to make the book. The pictures could be colored.

Interactive Component - The children are to draw an award they would like to receive for using self-control.

Preschool and Kindergarten Activity Two - Letter "Pp" for Pig

The template is found in the theme unit. The children would add facial features to the letter "Pp" in a black fine point felt and after the letter would be painted pink.

Preschool and Kindergarten Activity Three - Letter "Pp" Sound Recognition - Phonemic Awareness

Note: Example of this activity is shown below only this would be done with letter "Pp"

Prior to doing this activity the letter "Pp" sound has been introduced. The children have observed the formation of their lips when making the sound (the children used small mirrors to make this observation). In the member's area you will have access to 150 color and black and white pictures(under Alphabet Pictures). Letter "Pp" sound pictures would be placed with other beginning sound pictures. The children would sort these. A mirror could also be placed in the station for children to observe the formation of their lips while saying the word and focusing on the beginning sound.

Note: The picture names should be explained to the children in advance. Occasionally, it is not very clear what the picture is and some children with a poor vocabulary base may not be familiar with it. These pictures are also great for vocabulary building.

Preschool and Kindergarten Rhyming Activity - Phonemic Awareness "ig" Family

This silly rhyme (found in the link below) can be used to introduce the "ig" word family. After the children can color and complete the pig in the rhyme holding a twig and fig. They can also add a purple wig.

Note: The vocabulary word jig, twig and fig should be expanded upon as not every child may necessarily be familiar with these words.

Silly "ig" Rhyme

Rhyming Cards - Phonemic Awareness - "ig" Word Family Sorting

Research has indicated that the first stage of being successful in learning to read is having a good phonemic awareness background (ability to differentiate sounds). Hearing and identifying rhyme is one of the first stages in this process.

In instructional or circle time the concept of rhyme would have already been introduced along with the rhyming cards ("ig" family) found in the theme unit. The children can sort the cards according to if they rhyme or not.

Preschool and Kindergarten Activity Five - Visual Discrimination Activity

The rhyming cards could also be used to match a word card to the one on the picture. The words could also be printed, stamped or created using magnetic letters.

More Center Suggestions

Dramatic Play Center

A large castle could be made (the castle template found in the theme book could be enlarged on the overhead). In the castle old clothes, magic wands and fairy tale puppets could be added to act out the fairy tales.

Listening Center

Block Center

Computer Center

Library

Playdough Center

Puzzle Center

Sand/Water/Rice Center

Science Center

After reading the story "Jack and the Beanstalk" the children could grow bean plants. Look at the "Plants Theme" on the website for more ideas related to this.

LESSON PLAN CONTINUED.... this is a monthly plan and you can view full lesson by clicking the links under the heading Fairy Tales on the left hand sidebar.

Information on How to Gain Access to This Theme Plus