1. The Little Red Hen Crafts and
Lesson Plan Printable Activities for
Preschool and Kindergarten
Themes Instructions and Suggestions Materials
Alphabet > Background: Crafts:
Letter H > The Little Red Hen is an English First-School's
H is for folktale that has been passed on from Crafts
Hen storyteller to storyteller for many Characters -
generations before it was written Ages 3.5+ with
Animals > down. help
links to A writer and expert on English folklore1. Cow Crafts
animals in by the name of Joseph Jacobs is 2. Cat Crafts
the story believed to have been the first to 3. Dog Crafts
depending write and publish the story in the late4. Duck or
on the nineteenth century. Many other Goose Crafts
version writers and artists have recorded 5. Hen Crafts
chosen various versions of the story. 6. Mouse
Crafts
Books > In all versions, the little red hen is a 7. Turkey
Folk tales hard working character. Most of the (online story
| Fairy versions have a lazy cat, but depending version)
Tales | on the storyteller or writer the other
Online characters may be a mouse, a dog, a
stories > goose, a duck, a cow or a horse.
The Little Sometimes these characters are
Red Hen dozing off, sleeping or just playing.
Sometimes the hen bakes bread, or a
Crafts > cake, and yes in one version the hen
Several bakes a pizza! The animals don't want
printable to help and the hen does not share
Crafts for what she has baked, well, with one
the story exception. The hen does share the
pizza in a contemporary version you
Farm may want to explore.
Animals
Coloring Preparation for activities:
Pages > Secure a book and/or video from the
For felt library that best meets the needs of
board the children's age and tastes. A book
characters with rich illustrations is highly
and | or recommended for this activity,

2. puppets
followed by the use of flannel board Main
Nutrition > characters and other support Character
Bread & materials. Below are a number of book Little Red
Grain suggestions with age guidelines. Hen
Products, Crafts
Recipes Review and prepare all materials:
printable crafts, coloring pages and
other online resources to select those
that match the characters in the book
selected. Review all other craft
Easy Shapes
materials needed. You may want to
Little Red
include a cooking/baking activity,
Hen
sampling different types of bread or
other baked goods for a snack or a
visit to a local bakery.
Here are some book suggestions: (links Large
to Amazon.com) -- all of these should Version
be available at your local library or
school library.
The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton,
1993 -This version is ideal for toddlers Small Version
& preschool level. It is a favorite of Little Red
young children and emergent readers Hen Stand-
up Crafts
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone,
1985, ages 4-8, but this can also be
enjoyed by children 3+. Available in
video format (length: eight minutes)
by Weston Woods/Scholastic, the
video is an exact representation of the Letter H Hen
book - these videos are usually printable
available at the local library. activities C
oloring Pages
The Little Red Hen: (Makes Pizza) by for Felt board
Philemon Sturges - Ages 4-8 (younger Characters &
readers may enjoy it as well) This time Puppets
Little Red Hen shares with her lazy Cat,
neighbors, after which they help with Chicken/Hen,
the dishes and instead of baking bread Cow, Dog, Duck,

3. or cake, it is pizza! Hurrah! A fun and Goose, Horse,
great lesson in sharing. Mouse
The Little Red Hen (Easy-to-Read Many other
Folktales) by Lucinda McQueen - Ages links to online
4-8 Another wonderful choice, very supplementary
colorful and not easily forgotten. materials in the
instructions.
This is a short list and there are many
other wonderful versions to choose Materials:
from at your local library. You may Each craft link
consider presenting more than just one has a list of
version. materials
needed.
Activity > Online Story time > The
Little Red Hen at Starfall.com Optional: Stalk
Here is a beautifully illustrated version of wheat found
online. In this version the Little Red at floral or
Hen's friends are all birds: a duck, a craft
goose and a turkey. The Little Red
Hen bakes muffins instead of bread.
This is an opportunity to focus on the
theme of birds, autumn and
Thanksgiving holiday.
Here are a series of activities for The
Little Red Hen. This story can be
revisited again and again as children
grow to explore different aspects of it
and other educational themes.
Activity #1: Reading / Story
Discussion and Possible Themes to
Explore (Age Recommendations)
Reading and discussing this story will
greatly vary depending on the age of
the children.
For children ages 2-3 is probably
best to keep the discussion simple,

4. focus on:
1. The repetition of the story and
having them participate in role playing
with (an easy craft below) puppets and/
or felt board characters.
2. Some basic discussion about the
process of planting, harvesting and
final product, the baked good and how
important it is to eat wheat and other
grain related products (have a stalk of
wheat for demonstration-found at
craft store).
3. Sharing and helping is good!
4. Snack Time: A fun and easy baking
or bread tasting activity. Suggestion:
Bake bread in a bread machine if
available, easy and children can help
measure the water, flour, etc.
5. Music: Singing a portion of the
story - link below.
For children 4-6 there's a great deal
more that can be discussed during
separate activities or depending on the
age.
*Character/Moral message:
Cooperation & sharing in more depth
*Arts & Crafts: Various suggestions
for crafts to make to support the
story that allow the children to be
creative in making one of the
characters of the story and engage in
dramatic play.
*Farm Theme: This story can
definitely be incorporated in a farm
themed unit, and the importance and
contributions of the hen/chicken and
other characters to the farm.
*Science/Plants: The process of wheat
planting, caring, harvesting, milling

5. process, baking and nutritional value of
the final baked good.
*Nutrition: The nutritional value of
products derived from the wheat, food
pyramid - breads and grains.
*Fun in the Kitchen & Math: Baking
bread (a bread making machine is great
for the classroom), cookies, pizza, or a
cake is a great opportunity to practice
measuring and counting.
*Music: Singing a portion of the story
- link below.
Select from some of the support
materials below: crafts, coloring pages
(for flannel board characters and
puppets), and online resources that can
be incorporated for presenting the
story and the children will actively
participate in the process.
Activity #2: Arts & Crafts:
**Story Character Crafts:
Below is a selection of crafts to make
all the characters in the story. If you
have a large group you may want to
divide the group so you have smaller
groups representing each character
and they will use the craft to
participate during the reading,
discussion, dramatic play and music
activity. Make a drawing to help in the
process of selection -- a small bag or
basket with pictures/images that
children pull out to determine what
character/animal they will get to make
for art/craft activity.
First-School's Crafts Characters -
Ages 3.5+ with help

6. Visit these links for instructions and
templates for related crafts - choose
depending on the characters of the
book version selected.
1. Cow Crafts
2. Cat Crafts
3. Dog Crafts
4. Duck or Goose Crafts
5. Hen Crafts
6. Mouse Crafts
7. Turkey (online story version)
All of these crafts have printable
templates (color version and black &
white).
DLTK's Printable Craft Characters -
Ages 3+
These crafts require a toilet paper
tube - or paper towel tubes. All the
templates for these character are
available in black & white to color or in
color. Choose from:
1. Cow Craft
2. Dog Craft
3. Mouse Craft
4. Horse Craft
**Suggestion: Alphabet Letter
Practice - Before or after completing
the crafts write the first letter of the
animal in the body template.
Felt Board Characters or Easy Hand
Puppets using Coloring Page Images
(Ages 2+):
Choose from these coloring page
images those characters that apply to
the book selected and suggestions for
use below:
Cat, Chicken | Hen, Cow, Dog, Duck,

7. Goose, Horse, Mouse, Turkey
For other choices and/or additional
images visit the Animal Coloring Pages
index.
Easy & Quick Felt board Characters:
The coloring page images listed above
can be printed directly on construction
paper or craft paper in a
complimentary color and then cut out,
glue or tape a piece of sand paper to
stick to a flannel board. Also you may
wish to cover with Contact paper.
Using dry erase markers write the
names of the characters on them.
Easy Hand Puppets & Coloring
Painting Activity
*If you have limited time, this could be
an easy craft/coloring activity using
crayons or paints and some additional
materials to decorate the coloring page
images suggested above.
*Children can help cut out the images
after decorating/coloring them (great
scissor practice for older children)
and glue or tape to a craft
stick/Popsicle stick or drinking straw
to make a puppet.
*Do the same as suggested above,
divide the group and make a drawing to
select the image for each child. Have
the children work in teams to color and
decorate the puppet.
Activity #5: Online Activity -
Science: Wheat- Plants Growth,
Harvesting, Milling, Baking- The
Little Red Hen Slide Show

8. This activity is suitable for children
3.5+. This slide presentation focuses
on the planting, harvesting, milling,
baking and final product-bread derived
from the wheat. This activity ideally
should culminate with a baking activity,
visit to a bakery or an introduction to
the community helper, the baker (see
below).
Online resource: Webbing into
Literacy: The Little Red Hen Activity
Card: (PDF Format only)
Here is an activity card that can be
used at home or as take home activity
to reinforce the story.
Complementary Lesson Plans:
Letter H Hen printable activities
Introduce or practice letter H with a
set of printable activities and mini-
book
Community Helper - The Baker
Activities
A complimentary set of activities to
this story would be to introduce the
baker as a community helper.
Community Helper - The Farmer
Activity (and Little Boy Blue Nursery
Rhyme)
The Little Red Hen exhibits the
responsibilities of a farmer. A
complimentary activity to this story
would be to introduce the farmer as a
community helper -- refer to this
activity which includes an Easy Farmer
Shapes Craft.

9. Baking | Sequencing | Nutrition
Suggestion for a baking activity, a
printable baking sequencing activity.