~ Pre-K & Preschool theme ideas for learning about fairy tales ~
Books
Traditional Fairy Tales:
Non-Traditional Fairy Tales:
Information/Non-fiction:
Rhymes
Queen of Hearts Nursery Rhyme
The queen of hearts,
She made some tarts
All on a summer's day.
The knave of hearts,
He stole those tarts
And took them clean away.
Songs
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocketful of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing.
Wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
Activities
The Three Little Pigs
[Art]
We made the houses of the Three little pigs by gluing on raffia pieces (straw), toothpicks (sticks), and small rectangles of red foam (bricks).
We talked about the sequence of the story (which house did the wolf come to first, second, third), and made the houses on the paper in that sequence.
The children dictated a few sentences to retell the story.
The Three Bears
[Math]
Children made balls of play-dough in three sizes: small, medium, and large. They formed the play-dough into a Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear,
making a body, head, ears, arms, and legs. The children were given 3 sizes of wiggles eyes to put on the bears. You can also use the
bear family cookie cutters made by Wilton.
Princess on the Pea
[Math]
We used two beds from the dollhouse furniture for this game. The children took turns rolling dice and taking that amount of mattresses
(cut from craft foam) to put on the bed. When all mattresses were gone, the child with the most mattresses on the bed is the "true princess" or prince.
Little Red Riding Hood
[Math]
Print out the Red Riding Hood path game. Children start their playing piece at Little Red Riding Hood. They roll a game die and count out that amount
of spaces to move, and continue play until they reach Grandma's House.
Crown Grid Game
[Math]
To play a grid game, children roll a game die, identify the numeral
and count out that amount of manipulatives. Each manipulative is placed over one picture in the grid. Children play until the whole grid is full.
This grid game uses plastic jewels which can be found in a variety bag at craft stores.
10 Spaces
20 Spaces
Jack and the Beanstalk
[Science]
We grew our own small beanstalks by planting lima beans in a cup.
The Fisherman and His Wife
[Math]
We used a blue shower liner on the floor for the water. Paper fish had 0-10 dots on them, with a paperclip attached, and were tossed onto the "water".
Children caught a fish with magnetic fishing pole, counted the dots, and wrote or stamped the numeral on a fish cutout. The magnetic fishing poles
were made with a magnet wand tied to a rhythm stick with string.
Gingerbread Man
[Various Skills]
See the Christmas page for Gingerbread Man activities.
Queen of Hearts Tarts
[Cooking]
Tarts were often made during the medieval ages. Children made their own tarts with this recipe:
Mix two spoonfuls of cream cheese with two spoonfuls of strawberry preserves in a cup. Spread the mixture onto vanilla wafers, and add a heart-shaped
candy (red hots or other candy).
Gold Crowns
[Art]
We made crowns out of plain construction paper. We painted them with gold glitter paint, and added some sequins for "jewels".
Coat of Arms
[Art]
Children used tempera paint and sponges shaped like heraldic symbols (cross, flowers, animals, stars, etc.) to decorate a posterboard shield.
The shield was divided into sections, with one section for each symbol. We used heraldic colors (for a little authenticity): red, blue, black, green,
purple, silver, gold. We added last names to the shield. Those who were able, wrote their last names on their own.
Fairy Tale Retelling
[Literacy]
A large sheet paper was folded in half, like a story book. The children drew a picture of one of their favorite fairy tale characters on the front.
On the inside, they dictated their retelling of the fairy tale.
Fairy Tale Graph
[Math]
Each child wrote their name on an index card, chose a favorite fairy tale, and placed their card on the pocket chart graph. We counted and compared
the results: what has the most/least/same? I picked about 5 fairy tales for the children to choose from and placed pictures of those fairy tales at
the top of the pocket chart.
Bejeweled Bingo
[Math, Literacy]
We play number or alphabet bingo, using plastic jewels on a regular alphabet bingo set.
Musical Jewels Game
[Math]
We placed the classroom chairs ("thrones") around the circle. I placed plastic jewels (from a craft store) only on certain chairs.
Children marched around the circle. When the music stops, they must find a throne to sit in. If a jewel is there, they take it. The children
keep a count of how many jewels they have collected.
Jewel Strings
[Math]
Children used strings of plastic "jewels" that have various amounts of jewels on them (1-10 jewels). Children count the jewels on the jewel strings
and match them to another string of jewels of the same amount.
Jewel Patterns
[Math]
Children make patterns on a pattern grid card using plastic jewels from a craft store. You can also use paper crowns from the dollar store and have children
place jewels on each point of a paper crown in a pattern. We practiced making patterns by size and color.
Castles
[Science]
In the Block Center, the children construct castles with the large and small blocks. I take photos of them to make a book of castle designs.
Medieval Feast
[Cooking]
Mead: In the Medieval Ages, people drank mead because the water was unclean. We made our own mead with this recipe:
Mix a spoonful (or more) of honey in a cup of water. Add a few squirts of lemon or orange juice and sprinkle on some nutmeg. Stir and drink.
Medieval Dessert: Sprinkle cinnamon on a pear half. Warm in the microwave.
Castle Prop Box
[Dramatic Play Center]
Cone-shaped princess hats (can make with paper and streamers), Crowns, Fancy shoes, Robes (red capes with white fur), Princess dresses, Chair for throne,
Cardboard box castle.
Educational Videos
[Technology]
From United Streaming Videos:
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
"James Marshall's Red Riding Hood"
"The Ugly Duckling"
"Rapunzel"
"Nightingale"
"Each Peach Pear Plum"
Resources
10 Spaces
20 Spaces
Links
- Fairy Tale Theme Links: my bookmarks at del.icio.us
- The Three Bears @ The Virtual Vine
- Little Red Riding Hood @ Pre-KPages.com
- Little Red Hen @ CalicoCookie.com
- Little Red Hen @ Pre-KPages.com
- Jack and the Beanstalk @ Pre-KPages.com
- Hansel and Gretel @ The Virtual Vine
- The Three Bears @ CalicoCookie.com
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears @ Pre-KPages.com
- Fairy Tales @ The Virtual Vine
- Kings, Queens, and Castles @ Enchanted Learning
