Free Fairy Tales Preschool Lesson Plans
Here you’ll find loads of ideas for a fairy tales preschool theme, including book ideas, art, and sensory exploration, and math and science fun. These FREE fairy tale preschool lesson plans are great for use any time of the year!
You’ll find the whole bundle of ideas at the end of this post in a free download of preschool lesson plans.
Free Fairy Tales Activities for Preschoolers
“Fairy tales spark imagination and offer moral lessons. Children learn from the mistakes of characters in these stories, which helps them with their critical thinking skills. They also aid in emotional resilience by helping children connect stories to real life. Fairy tales show that people face adversity, but, if they believe in themselves, they can overcome obstacles. Stories can help children confront real-life fears and anxieties in a fantastical setting. Plus, they expose children to different cultures, as they are often set in different parts of the world.”
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branch-out/importance-fairy-tales-preschool-development
Not to mention, that reading fairytales to your preschoolers improves vocabulary and language skills and develops a love of reading.
As an added bonus, preschoolers love listening and learning through fairy tales! My four year old is absolutely enamored with Jack and the Beanstalk, so much so, that we built a beanstalk from a wrapping paper tube and made pipe cleaner leaves to re-enact the story. These magical tales include so much wonder and interest that preschoolers can’t help but be completely mesmerized. Our preschool fairy tale lesson ideas are going to help make planning this theme such a breeze!
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Frequently Asked Questions About a Fairy Tale Preschool Theme
You may have a few questions about teaching a fairy tale preschool theme! Check out these frequently asked questions for how to teach your preschoolers about fairy tales.
Fairy tales often involve a supernatural or magical element and can include animals talking or dressing in clothing. The stories were told centuries ago to be entertaining but are used today because they often teach us life lessons or morals. The use of fairy tales is ideal for teaching preschoolers to be kind, think of others, and be unafraid to ask for help.
Preschoolers love to imagine and daydream. Fairy tales encourage their imagination and develop a sense of wonder. They also encourage children to become storytellers of their own, without any limits.
It’s important when selecting fairy tales for preschoolers to choose fairy tales that don’t contain concepts that could be too scary. We love the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk, and the Gingerbread Man. When reading these tales, it’s important to dial back and de-emphasize scary parts and focus on how things worked out for the best in the end.
You can include classic nursery rhymes in your storytelling unit as well. Focus on the rhyming words, the vocabulary, and invite children to recite or sing the nursery rhymes with you. Nursery rhymes are so helpful to a child’s language development so including them is a major bonus!
Important Info about these Fairy Tale Lesson Plans
These lesson plans for preschoolers are just one theme in a set of over 40 that will become a part of my free Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans.
The Learn at Home Preschool Lesson Plans is a set of free lesson plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.
Each set of lesson plans is centered around a weekly theme and includes a minimum of 16 activities that can be done throughout the week. They are designed to be done at home with parents, but many preschool teachers are using these lesson plans, too!
Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!
All the preschool learning activities are quick and easy to set up, requiring very little (if any at all) prep and only require the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers happy, too!
These activities also work wonderfully in the classroom, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.
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Engaging Preschool Activities for a Fairy Tales Theme
Whether you are looking for literacy activities, crafts or games, you will find over 18 different fairy tale activities perfect for engaging your busy preschoolers.
Literacy Activities for a Fairy Tales Preschool Theme
Gingerbread Man Old Maid Card Game – Print out the gingerbread old maid cards on cardstock and cut them apart. To play, deal out all the cards to the players. It doesn’t really matter if one preschooler ends up with an extra card. Next, invite your preschooler to make any matches they see within their hand. Lay those matches aside. Each player can keep track of their own matches. The game continues to the next player, each player drawing from the player to the left, and continues until all the cards have been matched and one player is left with the run-away gingerbread man card (“old maid”).
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Puppet Sticks – After reading, invite the children to help retell the story using the stick puppets. Encourage dramatic voices and add in onomatopoeia (sound words) as you retell. Allow children to practice retelling independently, as well. These can also be used with playdough. Simply stick the puppets into the playdough to re-tell the story!
Don’t Forget Picture Books!
What’s a fairy tale theme without fairy tale books? We selected some of the best fairy tale books for preschoolers, so check them out!
Math and Science Activities for a Fairy Tales Theme in Preschool
Jack and the Beanstalk Golden Egg Count – Using egg cartons and plastic golden eggs, invite the child to count how many eggs they can fit in the carton. Discuss how many are in a dozen. Decorate the golden eggs with shape stickers and jewels. Count how many stickers are on each egg.
Shape Crown Craft – Become a fairy tale prince or a princess with this fun math craft. Simply cut out the crown template and add on shape foam stickers and round sequins and any other shape add-ons.
The Three Little Pigs STEAM Challenge – Using straws, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and Legos invite the child to create the three little pigs’ homes and see how they hold up as the “wolf” tries to blow them down! This is such a fun way to model the strength of different materials and help preschoolers practice “failure” as their structures are destroyed.
Playful Preschool Learning Activities for a Fairy Tales Theme
Craft with Pipe Cleaners – Grab some assorted colored pipe cleaners and pom-poms and twist and bend to create different creatures. Try bugs, shapes, and food to start! Get creative and see what your preschooler can come up with!
Write in Shaving Cream – Use a plate or a tray and enjoy some sensory fun. Write with your finger, squeeze the foamy stuff, or mix paint or food dye to make new colors. Add glue to the shaving cream and dip the paper in for a marbled look!
Make a Big Bad Wolf Mask – Print out the mask, color, laminate, and cut! Add string and tie to wear. Put on a show for friends and family from the stories, Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Fairy Tales Preschool Theme
Learning the Moral or the Lesson in a Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, The Lion and the Mouse, an Aesop Fable. After listening, encourage your preschooler to help you discover the moral or the lesson that the lion learned in this story (being kind is always the best option, big or small, you can be helpful, etc…) The lion and the mouse are not normally compatible friends but in this story, they were able to help one another. How can you be helpful at home or at school?
Learning the Moral or the Lesson in a Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, an Aesop Fable. After listening, discuss with your preschooler what the moral or lesson of this story could be. Did the boy tell the truth when he yelled, “Wolf, wolf!”? Why didn’t anyone from the village come to help him when there really was a wolf? Would you have believed the boy when he cried wolf for the third time? Why or why not? How can this story teach us a lesson about being truthful in our lives?
Just Plain Fun Fairy Tales Activities for Preschoolers
Jack and the Beanstalk Sensory Bin – Using beans, green rocks, a paper towel tube, and a paper plate, this fun sensory bin is perfect for retelling!
Make Star Wands – Glue paper stars to a popsicle stick and make your own magic wand. Use for dramatic play or storytelling!
Build a Block Castle – Using wooden blocks and other items, build a castle with a moat and make tall towers. Add in some fairy tale characters too!
Gingerbread Man Art – Grab some brown paper and fun supplies, and decorate your own gingerbread man!
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Get Online Activities for a Fairy Tales Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, Little Red Riding Hood. After listening, encourage your preschooler to tell you events from the story. Did Little Red Riding Hood listen to her mom’s instructions? Not listening put her and her grandmother in danger. What was the moral of the story/ what did you learn? *Never trust strangers.
Goldilocks Song – A musical version of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Great for re-telling and learning the moral of the story!
Magical Forest Fairy Tale Yoga – Stretch and get fit with different yoga poses and imagine different fairy tale creatures.
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Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Engaging Add-Ons for your Fairy Tale Theme
From puzzles to flannel boards, take a look at some of these exciting resources to help your fairy tales come to life.
We have personally fallen in love with the 3D puzzles from Storytime Toys… my children love building the puzzle and then spending hours re-telling the stories in silly voices and sometimes changing the tale completely!
Get Your Free Fairy Tales Lesson Plans Here
Want to include these fairy tale activities in your lesson plans? Ready to grab your free fairy tale lesson plans for preschoolers with all these fairy tale theme activities?!
No problem. I’ve made a printable for you. Just fill out the form below and it will be sent to your inbox.
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I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.