Fairy tales, such as The Three Little Pigs, are perfect for teaching children how stories work at a young age.
The setting, characters, and story sequence as well as the difference between fiction and non-fiction are all easily taught when reading fairy tales.
When a child understands the mechanics of a story, he or she will be able to make successful predictions and increase crucial comprehension skills. Powerful stuff, right?
Many English Language Arts standards include fairy tales as a required type of text, as well as folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and nursery rhymes.
I especially like this quote from Albert Einstein:
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Albert Einstein knew the educational benefits of fairy tales!
Huff and Puff
The minute I saw the book Huff and Puff by Claudia Rueda I knew it was the perfect read aloud for preschool and kindergarten kids.
Huff and Puff is a fresh, new twist on a classic tale, definitely not your momma’s Three Little Pigs!
One of those rare, interactive books, Huff and Puff invites children to join in the story by huffing and puffing. There are small holes in several of the pages throughout the book that are just begging the reader to purse their lips and “huff and puff” through the openings.
While it may look simple at first glance, I encourage you to read Huff and Puff all the way through once and really let it sink in. The simple text packs a big punch filled with opportunities for prediction and inference.
Read this book after you have read a few different versions of The Three Little Pigs so the surprise ending really takes the listeners by surprise.
Spoiler alert, there won’t be any eating of the wolf or burning of his tail in this version, instead, The Three Little Pigs bake him a birthday cake!
Three Little Pigs Activity
Here are the supplies you will need to make your own Three Little Pigs class book.
- tempera paint
- straws, one per child
- box lid or similar container to hold paper
- printable template (link below)
Start by placing one printable template inside a copy box or file box lid. The lid will help contain the paint and keep it from splattering all over the table.
Next, invite the child to write his or name in the blank space on the template if they are able. If not, fill in their name for them.
Then, squirt some drops of paint on the blank page and invite a child to blow the drops around on the page with a straw.
After all the children have had a turn to blow paint on a page, let the pages dry overnight.
Three Little Pigs Class Book
When the pages are dry, bind them together to create a class book. You can three-hole punch the pages and place them in a binder, use a binding machine, or book rings- whatever works for you.
Write your class name on the space provided on the cover sheet and you’re good to go!
The simple text on each page is perfect for practicing one-to-one correspondence print tracking skills.
Now you have a nice new book to place in your classroom library that your kids will be able to read independently!
Three Little Pigs Printable Class Book Template
Go to the image above to get the class book template.
More Fairy Tale Resources:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Little Red Riding Hood
Jack and the Beanstalk
Follow my Fairy Tales board on Pinterest for more great ideas!
