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Famous Fables Activities

Fables have been passed down from generation
to generation around the world for hundreds
of years. With simple plots, animal characters
that talk, and rich language, fables help make
read-aloud time fun for both parent and child.
In addition, because of their clear lessons
and widespread appeal, fables also provide
opportunities for thoughtful discussions about the
human experience. Plus, they can help develop
imagination and creativity!
This tip sheet is designed to provide activities to
supplement your child’s learning experience with
the fables in this set. Young children thrive in an
environment where learning and play go hand in
hand. The following hands-on activities will spark
your children’s enthusiasm for learning and get
them excited about reading.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

Fingerprint Bugs
Here’s a quick way for your child to illustrate the main characters of the story.

1. Lightly brush purple paint onto your child’s thumb. Have your child press three times on a sheet
of white paper to form the ant’s body. (If needed, brush on fresh paint for each thumbprint.)
2. Wash and dry your child’s hand. Lightly brush green paint onto your child’s other thumb. Have
your child make one thumbprint for the grasshopper’s head.
3. Wash and dry your child’s hand. Lightly brush green paint onto your child’s entire index finger.
Have your child make a print of the finger for the grasshopper’s body.
4. When the prints are dry, let your child use markers to draw legs, antennae, and facial features.
Your child may also draw or glue on grass, seeds, or other items.

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Famous Fables Activities

Work and Play

In the story, the grasshopper learns that there is a time for work and a time for play. Ask your child
when he or she works or plays. (Examples: I make my bed in the morning. I help set the table before
dinner. I play after school with my friends. I play soccer on the weekend.) Then provide two sheets of
white paper. Label one sheet “I Work” and the other “I Play.” Have your child illustrate the different
ways he or she works and plays.

Counting Seeds Bug Hunt

Combine science discovery and math with this
simple activity. Discuss how the hard-working
ant stored seeds for the winter, and have your
child name some foods that have seeds. Next,
set out three fruits that have seeds. (Apples,
oranges, peaches, cherries, or seeded grapes
are good choices.) Write their names on a
sheet of paper. Ask your child to guess how
many seeds are in each fruit, and write the
guesses beside the corresponding names. Then
cut open each fruit and have your child count
the seeds. Record the amounts on the paper,
and have your child see which guess was the
closest. Afterwards, slice the fruits and mix them
together for a refreshing treat.
Take your child outdoors to hunt for ants,
grasshoppers, and other bugs. Some usual
“bug hangouts” are in the grass, under rocks,
on plants and tree bark, and in the cracks of
pavement. Once your child finds a bug, ask
questions such as the following to help sharpen
observation skills:
• What color is the bug?
• How many legs does it have?
• Does it have wings?
• What shape is it?
If you like, use a camera or a sketchbook to
record the findings.

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Famous Fables Activities

The Lion and the Mouse

Tasty Lion and Mouse
Accept “roars” of delight when your child helps you assemble this tasty twosome!
Ingredients:
• large orange and medium orange • apple
• banana • ball-shaped cereal (or other small round cereal)
• black or red grapes
Lion
1. Cut 1 slice of the large orange for the lion’s head. Place the slice on a
plate.
2. Cut 2 slices of a banana. Place at the top of the head for ears.
3. Cut grapes and place them in the middle of the orange for the eyes
and nose.
4. Cut a thin, round slice of grape in half to make two half-circles. Carve
out the flesh so that only the peel remains. Place the peel onto the
orange slice, and shape to make the lion’s mouth.
5. Arrange the cereal around the orange to make the mane.
Mouse
1. Cut 3 slices of the medium orange for the mouse’s head and ears.
Place the slices on a plate.
2. Cut grapes for the eyes and nose. Place the eyes on the orange.
3. Cut thin slivers of apple for the whiskers. Put them on the orange, and
place the nose on top.

Friendship Poster “Big and Little” Animal Safari

In the story, the mouse shows that she is a
good friend by freeing the lion from the net.
Talk to your child about ways he or she can
be a good friend to others. For example, your
child might suggest playing with someone who
is alone on the playground, making a card for
a sick friend, or helping a child learn a new
game. Have your child write or draw his or her
ideas on a sheet of paper to make a poster
titled “I Can Be a Good Friend.”
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Discuss how the lion is big and the mouse is
little. Then have your child look through The
Lion and the Mouse (or other animal book) for
animals that are big or little. Fold a sheet of
writing paper in half, and label the left column
Big Animals and the right Little Animals. Help
your child write or draw animals in the correct
columns. For example, big animals can include
the giraffe, okapi (page 2), elephant, bongo
(page 3), and zebra. Little animals can include
the butterfly, bee, worm, and ladybug.
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Famous Fables Activities

Stand-Up Puppets
Help your child create colorful stand-up puppets that
can be used for retelling the story.

Materials for Lion Making the Lion

• Toilet paper tube 1. Glue the yellow paper around the toilet paper
• 3" Circle cut from yellow cardstock (or paint tube for the body.
white cardstock yellow) 2. Punch 8–10 holes around the circle. (Leave a
• 4" x 6" Piece of yellow cardstock ¼"–3/8" margin so that the holes are not too
close to the edge.)
• 5 Pipe cleaners for the mane (one or more
colors) 3. Cut the pipe cleaners in half. Thread one piece
through one hole and out the next. Continue
• Pencil threading pipe cleaners around the circle.
• Hole punch 4. Wrap each pipe cleaner around a pencil to
• Googly eyes (optional) create curls for the mane.
• Markers 5. Draw the lion’s face. Add googly eyes if desired.
• Glue, clear tape 6. Glue the lion’s head onto the body. Secure with
tape.

Materials for Mouse Making the Mouse

• Toilet paper tube
• 1¾" brown paper circle (or other desired color)
for face
• Two 1½" brown paper circles for ears
• Two 1" pink paper circles for ears
• 3" x 6" piece of brown paper
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Small pink pompom (optional)
• Glue, clear tape
1. Cut about 1/8 off the toilet paper tube. Glue the
brown paper around the tube for the body. Trim
if needed.
2. Glue the pink circles onto the two brown circles
for ears. Glue behind the larger circle to form
the head.
3. Draw the mouse’s face. Add googly eyes and a
pompom nose if desired.
4. Glue the mouse’s head onto the body. Secure
with tape.

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Famous Fables Activities

The Hare and the Tortoise

Egg Carton Hare and Tortoise

Help your child make these appealing characters. Later, let
your child use them to reenact the race.

Materials for Hare Making the Hare

• Two cardboard egg carton cups, trimmed 1. Paint the egg carton cups for the body. Let dry.
• Two ears cut from the egg carton lid 2. Paint the ears the same color as the body. Let
• Paint for body and ears dry.
• Colored paper ovals for the feet (should match 3. Crumple up the paper towel and stuff one cup.
the body color) (Do not overstuff. Just use enough paper towel
to weight the cup down.) Glue the other cup on
• ¼ Sheet of paper towel top.
• Markers 4. Fold up the bottom of each ear to create a tab.
• Glue, tape Glue the ears onto the body.
5. Glue the ovals together at one end, and then
glue the body on top.
6. Use markers to draw facial features.
7. If desired, glue on a colored paper tie or other
accessory.

Materials for Tortoise Making the Tortoise

• Cardboard egg carton cup, trimmed 1. Trace the egg carton cup
• Paint for shell onto the colored paper.
Draw a head, a tail, and four
• Colored paper for body legs around the cup shape.
• Markers Cut out as one piece.
• Glue, tape 2. Paint the egg carton cup for the shell. Let dry.
3. Glue the egg carton cup onto the paper. Use
markers to draw facial features.

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Famous Fables Activities

Beginning Sounds Lotto

Review the sounds of h and t with this game. Turn to pages 2–5 in the book, and have your child
identify the pictures that begin with h and t (hive, house, hose, tomato, tie, tent). Get ten index cards,
and draw pictures of things that begin with h on five cards and that begin with t on the other five.
(Examples: hat, hammer, hand, table, tire, 10). Help your child make two lotto cards. For each one,
draw a 2 x 3 grid on paper and write h or t in the six spaces. Then shuffle the index cards and lay them
face down. Take turns picking up a card, naming the picture, and stating the matching letter. As each
letter is named, cross it out on the lotto card. The first player to cross out all the letters on his or her
card wins.

“Slow and Steady” Race

Discuss how the hare learns that “Slow and steady wins the race.” Then try this race in which your
child needs to be “slow and steady” to win. If your child is racing alone, set a timer for two or more
minutes and have your child race against the clock. (See below for other variations.)
To start, have your child hold a ping-pong ball (or other small ball) in a teaspoon. Then at your signal,
have your child walk across the room and back. If the ball drops, your child must pick it up, return to
the place where the ball dropped, and continue walking. If your child makes it back before the time is
up, he or she wins!
Variations: Let your child race with friends, and hold the race in the yard or other open space. The
children can race against each other or work in teams for a relay.

Animal Freeze!
Play some music, and have your child alternate dancing like a hare or a tortoise. For example, your
child could dance like a hare by hopping or running. Your child could dance like a tortoise by crawling
on all fours or by moving arms and legs slowly. Then without warning, stop the music. Your child must
“freeze” (stop and remain motionless) until the music starts again.

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Famous Fables Activities

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

“Eggcellent” Mice
After reading the story, have your child “invite” a pair of mice for
lunch. First, halve a hard-boiled egg lengthwise for the two mice’s
bodies. Cut four small, thin circles from a baby carrot for the
mice’s ears and two thin slivers for their tails. Carefully cut slits
in the egg bodies where the ears and tails would go. Have your
child insert the ears and tails. Place the mice on a lettuce leaf. If
you wish, have your child add cheese cubes, almond slivers, or
other food beside the mice.

Favorite Foods Collage City House, Country House

In the story, the city mouse and country
mouse loved to eat. Ask your child to name
some foods he or she enjoys eating. Provide
magazines and grocery store flyers for your
child to look through and cut out favorite foods.
Then have your child glue the pictures on a
sheet of paper to make a “Favorite Foods”
collage.
Where Would You Live?
The country mouse preferred the quiet of
the country while the city mouse loved the
excitement of the city. Have your child think
about the kind of place where he or she would
like to live. Use one or more of the following
sentence starters to encourage your child’s
thinking. Write your child’s words on a sheet of
paper, and have your child illustrate what he or
she thinks is the “perfect place” to live.
• I would live ________ because I like ______.
• The perfect place for me would have ______.
• In my perfect place, I would get to do things
like ______.
Discuss the ways the homes of the mice differed.
(Examples: The city mouse’s home was a large
building. The country mouse’s home was a tree.
The city mouse’s home had many rooms. The
country mouse had only a few rooms.) Then
provide two lunch bags for your child to make
the two homes. Have your child use markers and
crayons to add windows, doors, and other features,
but have him or her leave about three inches from
the top untouched. Once decorated, fill each bag
with a lightly crumpled sheet of newspaper to keep
it from tipping over. Finally, fold a 5½" x 6" piece
of colored paper in half for a roof, and staple it
onto the city mouse’s home. Fold a 6" square of
green paper in half, cut a curved edge to resemble
a treetop, and staple it onto the top of the country
mouse’s home.

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