During a theme on Fairy Tales or real vs. make-believe, a great outdoor activity for early childhood students is to build the houses of the three little pigs.

First go on a nature walk. Early childhood students love to walk around their school grounds looking for and picking up sticks and rocks and hay or grass. Remember safety first. Only walk around the school grounds where it is safe and students are monitored and counted at all times.

Gather some hay or dried grass. Pile it up, work to build something that looks like a hut. Imaginations are important in building this house. It probably won’t look like a normal house but with imaginative play, it can be called a hay house. 

Second, gather some sticks. Safety is important in making this house, too. Make sure the students do not poke their classmates with the sticks or run around with sticks. Pile the sticks up, make them look like a house or a teepee. Lay the sticks against the bottom of a fence to make the house look like a lean-to or hut. Again, imagination plays an important role in this house as well. 

Third, gather some bricks or big rocks. Safety is also important in building this house as well. Make sure the students do not throw the bricks or drop them on their hands and feet. Stack the bricks into any shape or creation to look like a house. The bricks will form something that looks more like a house than the hay and sticks. 

When the construction of each house is completed, have the students act out the story of the Three Little Pigs. Start at the hay house. Have the students huff and puff and blow the hay all over. Then run around the playground over to the stick house. Have the students huff and puff and blow the sticks down. Run around the playground a third time and run over to the brick house. Try huffing and puffing and try to blow the brick house down.

The hay and sticks will likely blow over or fall since they are lighter than the bricks. The bricks should be heavy enough to not fall over as easily.

Students will love acting out this story and will be able to recall the events and characters easily.

During our early childhood theme of Real vs. Make-believe week, we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We talked about real vs. make-believe stories and things that make stories real.

A fun art project for this story is to make Goldilocks’ hair and the bears’ ears for the students to wear on their heads. They can act out the story while wearing one of the headpieces. 

For Goldilocks’ hair, cut strips of yellow paper and wrap the strips around a marker then let the strips go. The strips will remain curled up. Staple 6-7 strips of paper to another wider strip formed in a circle to fit around the top of the student’s head.

To make the bears’ ears, cut a brown strip of paper about the same as the yellow Goldilocks strip to fit around the top of the student’s head. Cut out 2 small circles and staple to the brown strip of paper.

Book week in my early childhood classroom was a huge success. We had 2-3 parent readers everyday and received great comments. They were appreciative that we asked them to visit the class.

One student’s grandparents came to read to the class. His grandma said it was a great idea and they were very happy to do it.

Two parents were not signed up on the list to read. When they each came to pick up their children on Friday afternoon, we asked them if they would like to read a book or two. They said sure, sounds like fun, I’d love to do that.

We had a great week and learned a lot about books. Our imaginations were opened by a world of books.

We concluded Book week on Friday with Read and Relax Day. The students brought a teddy bear and a favorite book. We set the bedsheet tent up in the housekeeping center, turned on the camping lantern in the tent, put a box of books in the tent, and the students had a great time camping out with books and their bears.

Look at all the bears who came to class to read with us: 

An early childhood theme on books is a great way to expand children’s imaginations. Books open up a world of imagination.

Each day of book week, have an author’s chair. Have the children draw pictures on their own, using their own imaginations. Then set up a chair in the front of the circle time area and have children take turns describing their picture, making up a story to go with their pictures. This activity will encourage children to use their imaginations to make up their own stories as well as encourage them to talk in front of their classmates.

Make an edible bookworm. Use graham crackers. Spread white frosting on one graham cracker and place the other one on top like a sandwich. Squirt a line of green icing on top of the cracker sandwich. Place two circle cereal pieces on the top of the line of green icing for glasses. Use two small pieces of straight pretzel sticks on each side of the cereal circles for the sides of the glasses. Enjoy!

Designate each day as a different themed day of reading. One day camp out with books. Set up a small tent in the classroom, lay out sleeping bags, and read books in the tent. The tent can be as simple as a sheet stretched across chairs or tables, like making a living room tent.

Another day set out a beach blanket and beach chair and even an umbrella, fill a beach basket with books, and read at the beach.

One day spread out a picnic blanket, set out small plates and cups from the housekeeping center, fill a picnic basket with books, and read on a picnic. Take some books outside and read in the sunshine or the shade of a tree.

Invite parents to visit and bring their child’s favorite book to read to the class. This is a great way to encourage parent participation in class. Children love having their parents visit and spend 30-45 minutes of their day in their class.

Talk about the characters in books. Are they real or make-believe? Conclude book week by allowing students to dress up in costumes from their favorite character in a book. Ask them if their character is real or make-believe. Make sure the students bring extra clothes to change. Some costumes become itchy and bothersome after awhile.

For dramatic play activities, act out the stories from books. Have children act out the actions and words of the story and characters while the teacher narrates the story.

Go to a play. An older class (pre-kindergarten or kindergarten) can practice a story all week and perform it at the end of the week for younger classes (3′s classes). They can work on props and costumes and lines to speak. This activity encourages the performers to speak out and encourages the audience to listen and focus on the content of the play.