Three Little Pigs

Preparation:

1. Prepare the classic storybook The Three Little Pigs with large, vibrant illustrations highlighting the different building materials.

2. Prepare theme-targeted vocabulary flashcards: Pig, Wolf, Stick, Brick, and House.

3. Gather sensory building props: real small wooden craft sticks, smooth toy building bricks, a bundle of straw, and three small model houses representing each material type.

Part 1: Story Introduction and Vocabulary Activity

"The Three Little Pigs" Material Tracking & Interaction

Target Vocabulary:

1. Pig

2. Wolf

3. Stick

4. Brick

5. House

Target Sentence Structures:

• “This is a [noun].”

• “Do you have a [noun]?”

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Recognize core story characters and building materials on command.

2. Identify objects using the target structure “This is a [noun].”

3. Engage in responsive table talk by answering or mimicking the question “Do you have a [noun]?”

4. Participate in the playful dramatic movements of the narrative (e.g., huffing and puffing).

Class Details:

1. Warm-Up (5 mins)

Sing an interactive builder song (to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus"):

"The little pigs build a strong, strong house, strong, strong house, strong, strong house... All through the day!"

Encourage the children to make tapping motions with their fists like hammering building materials together to activate their energy.

2. Story & Vocabulary Introduction (5 mins)

Introduce the story The Three Little Pigs. Show the book cover featuring the animal characters. Point to a picture of the main antagonist and say, "Look at the big, bad wolf!" Point to the characters' homes and teach "House" by placing your hands together over your head to form a triangular roof shape.

3. The Interactive Material-Sharing Game (20 mins)

Read the book The Three Little Pigs. Bring the building scenes to life on the circle mat by passing around safe, tactile prop items to emphasize the interactive question frames:

• The First House Hunt: Show the straw home in the book. Pull a single piece of straw out of your prop box. Hand it to a child, point, and model: “This is a house material.”

• The Stick Exchange: Move to the page where the second little pig builds. Hold up a handful of wooden craft sticks. Walk up to a toddler, look at them, and ask directly: “Do you have a stick?” Hand them one and guide them to respond or nod as you proclaim: “This is a stick!”

• The Heavy Brick Wall: Show the third little pig's sturdy masonry structure. Pass around a smooth plastic toy building block. Let each toddler feel its weight. Ask a student: “Do you have a brick?” Assist them in lifting it up to show the class while saying: “This is a brick!”

• The Wolf Chase: Act out the climax where the villain tries to blow down the buildings. Lead the entire class in taking a giant breath to "huff and puff" together as a group. Point to the strong toy brick building and chant: “This is a safe house!”

4. Vocabulary Review (5 mins)

Lay down the 5 target flashcards (Pig, Wolf, Stick, Brick, House) face up on the mat. Play a fast-paced tracking game where children take turns oinking like a Pig, howling like a Wolf, or tapping the ground next to the card called out by the teacher.

Assessment:

• Observe if toddlers can successfully point to the Pig, Wolf, or House illustrations when prompted during storytime.

• Listen for vocalizations or echoes of the structural frame “This is a...” when children handle the real props.

• Evaluate participation and response alignment during the interactive object-passing segment.

Remarks & Reminders for Teachers:

Two-year-olds learn beautifully through tactile exploration. Giving them real wooden craft sticks and hard toy blocks to touch while hearing the corresponding words cements the concept much more effectively than images alone. Keep the dramatic wolf impressions fun and gentle so they are exciting rather than scary.

Part 2: Art and Craft Activity

Making a "Paper Plate Little Pig Mask"

Learning Objectives: 

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

1. Construct a paper plate pig mask.

2. Practice fine motor muscles by gripping paint brushes or sponges to coat the surface area and sticking down focal face cutouts.

3. Practice target language frames by using their completed masks to proudly claim, “This is a pig!”

Materials List:

• Paper plates that are pre-cut in half with dual eye-holes pre-punched out by the teacher.

• Light pink paint.

• Sponge stamps

• Pre-cut construction paper face elements: triangular outer ears, dark pink inner ear details, and a large dark pink oval shapes as snout

• Dark pink or black markers

• Safe school glue sticks

• Wooden sticks/ popsicle sticks

Class Details:

1. Introduction (5 mins)

Hold up a finished sample mask and hold it up to your face, look through the eye-holes, make a playful snout sound, and say: "Oink oink! This is a pig!" Lower the mask down, point to it, and ask the children: “Do you have a pig?”, "Not yet, let's make one!"

2. Coating the Base Pink (10 mins)

Hand out the pre-cut half-plate mask frames. Provide little plates of light pink paint and sponge stamps. Assist the children in spreading the paint smoothly across the ridges of the plate until the surface is bright and fully colored, just like the background layer.

3. Assembling the Animal Features (10 mins)

While the paint settles, help the toddlers use glue sticks to layer their paper ears together, pasting the dark pink inner triangles onto the lighter backing pieces. Guide them to apply glue to the base edges and stick the ears onto the top rim of the plate. Finally, have them align the large oval pink snout piece directly along the bottom flat edge of the mask right below the eye-holes, and attach the wooden stick/ popsicle stick onto the mask.

4. Dramatic Play & Language Reinforcement (5 mins)

Once the elements are secure, have the children hold their finished creations up to their faces. Walk around the workspace, peer gently at a toddler through their new mask, and ask with a smile: “What is that?” Prompt the child to look through the eye-holes and proclaim aloud: “This is a pig!”

5. Clean-Up (5 mins)

Distribute wet wipes to clean paint and glue residue off small fingers. Help children cap their glue sticks tightly, place their completed half-plate mask creations on the display counter to dry, and throw away any paper scraps.

Assessment:

• Verify if the child can confidently recognize their completed item using the frame “This is a...” during play checking.

• Monitor fine motor progress during the alignment of the snout piece and the painting of the curved plate area.

• Evaluate expressive output and word recognition when students interact together with their completed artwork.

Notes for Teachers:

• Pre-cutting is mandatory: Cutting the paper plates cleanly in half and neatly slicing out the precise matching eye-holes must be completed by the teacher before class starts. This ensures the toddlers can immediately focus on the tactile painting and layering steps shown in _ (25).jpeg.

• Use just a small amount of paint on the brushes to keep drying times low, allowing the children to hold up and interact with their masks safely before the end of the session.

Follow-Up:

• Line up the completed half-plate masks side-by-side along the classroom counter wall, creating a fun lineup of little characters.

• During arrival routines the following morning, use the masks to play a quick game of peek-a-boo, reviewing the primary question: “Do you have a pig?” to promote continuous language familiarity.

Reference image for art and craft: