The Little Red Hen

Retold by: Carol Ottolenghi

Illustrator: Reggie Holladay

Age: EYFS

Traditional tale which carries the message of work ethic - importance of helping others and working together. An activity for this could be baking bread or making play-dough with the children, ensuring they work as a team. Pretend that children can't eat the bread/play with the play-dough to show the message and discuss emotions (could pretend to give bread/play-dough to another class). Play-dough mats available for story - motor skills and re-telling events.

Take children on a senses walk to explore a farm (or a trip if possible). Animal sounds - Eat bread - Drink milk - Touch seeds, wheat, straw (hide toy animals in straw), cotton wool - Carousel activities around class, pretend to squelch through the mud to transition to next area.

Drama opportunities:

Role-play, hot-seating - help develop understanding of the moral - masks and headbands to get in role.

Link the moral to classroom expectations e.g. helping each other, manners, respect, values

Science: life cycles, hatch chicks

Art and design: use things from a farm to make farm pictures (e.g. sheep using wool) - Little Red Hen character hand prints used to make the character