Kindergarten Readiness – Yes to Fairy Tales

Leaving aside the issue of the wolf as being the bad guy when it is natural for him to be the predator, I’m going to give you some ideas of how the story of the Three Little Pigs can be used as a teaching and learning tool for all kinds of kindergarten readiness skills.

In this story, sequence is very important. Once your child has heard the story a few times, s/he understands how the first house is only a little hard to blow down, the second one is harder and the third, hardest of all. Numbers are used for 1, 2, and 3, but this time the numbers refer to position rather than quantity.

Another lesson is patterning. Each time the wolf says the same thing. Each time the pig answers the same way. Kids can practice their predicting skills for what comes next. Later on, these kinds of patterns make learning to figure out the squiggles and strokes for reading much easier.

After reading, it’s fun to make houses using lego, wooden blocks, scrap lumber, twigs, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, popsicle sticks, styrofoam, etc. That has lots of planning, organizing and constructing skills. Pretend the story using kitchen chairs and blankets, too.

There is an underlying message about working smarter in this story. The pigs have to keep on working to finally outwit the wolf, the first couple of ideas do get better until there is a solution. Sometimes little kids–and big grownups- have to keep trying, just like the pigs. What other hidden lessons are there?

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