Three Preschool Activities: Little Red Riding Hood

To make sure that students understand the general story of Little Red Riding Hood, encourage them to act out the story. Give one student a shawl, coat, or long piece of material to represent Little Red Riding Hood’s cape; give another student false teeth to represent the Big Bag Wolf’s teeth; and give a third student sunglasses to represent Grandma’s glasses. You also might want to make a basket of goodies for Little Red Riding Hood to carry. Then have groups of students act out the story, one at a time.

Use the story of Little Red Riding Hood to encourage giving to others. Emphasize that Little Red Riding Hood was going through the woods to bring some food for her grandmother. Give students several small, healthy snack ingredients, including bread, peanut butter (allergies permitting), grapes, and raisins, and encourage them to create gifts of food for other members of the class. Put each “gift” into a plastic bowl and have students deliver them to each other. Note the good feeling that sharing brings.

As a music and movement activity, teach students the following song (to the tune of “Skip to My Loo”)

“Skip, skip, skip through the woods,

Skip, skip, skip through the woods

Skip, skip, skip through the woods

Skip through the woods to Grandma’s.”

Encourage students to sing the song while skipping. (Some students may not know how to skip, so teach them first.) Then replace the word “skip” with another action word, such as “hop” or “jump,” and have students move accordingly as they sing the song.

You can also use the story of Little Red Riding Hood to teach the concept of stranger danger. Take a look at this article for more details.