Ahh, The Little Red Hen. A classic folktale that every family member can enjoy and learn from! If you’re looking to find the best activities to accompany reading the classic folktale, then you’re in the right place. Each of the literacy activity ideas below will encourage children to learn more about cooperation, friendship and farm to table experiences.
As a former teacher and homesteading mom, I’m on a mission to find preschool activities that support learning while being fun and easy to do. I created the list below to help you meet your family’s literacy goals for your preschoolers.
Farm To Table Literacy: The Little Red Hen
If the sound of “farm to table literacy” is exciting to you, you’re going to love this list! Help your child learn about where food comes from (and how it’s made) all while learning the important virtues of cooperation and friendship.
The Little Red Hen is a classic story about cooperation and working together. Depending on the version you have, it’s also features a theme of second chances – I’ve heard that the Barefoot Books version adds that in. I have to be honest, folk tales are a great place to skip the second chances. I’d rather have a folk tale teach my kids a hard lesson and offer them a second chance in real life!
The Little Red Hen a hardworking and ambitious chicken that grows her food and cooks it too! Originally, asks for help from her friends, her friends refuse, and in the end she doesn’t share her finished loaf of tasty bread with them. Nothing tastes better than the result of your hard work.
Little Red Hen Discussion Questions For Preschoolers
I encourage you to not just read the book and complete the activities below, but connect with the story and the activities throughout using these questions as guides:
- By looking at the cover of the story and walking through the pages and images what do you think this story might be about?
- What do you think might happen?
- What can you tell me about these animals and where they live?
- What sounds to these animals make and how do they act?
- How do the animals work together to make a loaf of bread?
- How do you make a loaf of bread? / What is it made out of?
- Have you baked bread before?
- Have you planted a seed before?
- What happened?
- What are some other activities you’d like to learn?
- For traditional version of the book you can ask: What might the Little Red Hen’s friends do the next time she asks for help?
After reading and doing activities together discuss what not helping and saying yes to helping means for the animals. No means missing out while saying yes means learning, helping, growing and experiencing something tasty and delicious, having fun and working together!
BAKE YOUR OWN BREAD TOGETHER
Baking bread together from scratch is easier than you think. Teach the children to knead the bread dough by folding and pushing the bread dough together around a table or counter.
While doing the motions talk about the story. Pan fry the bread dough to make bannock or bake in the oven. While the bread rises and bakes try some of these other activities:
PLANT SOME WHEAT GRASS
For this activity you’ll need wheat seed, soil, water, plastic fork, tweezers container such as a yogurt container or egg carton.
Fill the carton ¾ full, have the child “scratch” the soil with a plastic fork and place the seed using tweezers like a chickens beak. Water gently. Place in a sunny location. To speed up the germination of the seed, place plastic wrap over the container to seel in the moisture and create a mini greenhouse effect.
MILL FLOUR
Make your own flour using a mill or food processor with ingredients you have around the home such as oats, flax, or even dehydrated zucchini. Simply discuss the type of plant you’ll process and how it grows, then place it in the food processor together. Have the child pulse the plant into a flour like substance as the adult holds the food processor and supervises.
Even more farm to table ideas:
- Visit a local You Pick farm and work with friends/family to create your own food like this strawberry jam!
- See the farm animals at a petting zoo.
Most importantly, enjoy the time snuggling and reading The Little Red Hen together! You don’t have to do it all in one day- feel free to read the book one day and do activities the next. Or read the book several times in a week and do activities sporadically as time allows. Do what works best for your family!
You might also enjoy:
- Blueberries for Sal Pretend Play Activity
- Corduroy Book Reading and Questions
- Classic Books for Early Readers
🐔PIN THIS FOR LATER🐔
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