The Three Little Pigs Build Their Houses
We act out The Three Little Pigs: one group builds the straw house with cones, another the stick house with poles, and another the brick house with blocks, and then the wolf comes to blow. Children build with different materials, handle objects, and experience the story's suspense in a safe game.
How to play
- Sitting in a circle, the teacher briefly tells the story of the three little pigs and shows the three materials: cones for straw, poles for sticks and blocks for bricks (2 min).
- Make three groups of pigs, and each builds its house by outlining it on the ground: with cones, with poles laid flat, or with blocks stacked two high (4 min).
- The pigs play inside their houses while the teacher becomes the wolf and chants: “I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!” (1 min).
- The wolf huffs at the straw and stick houses, tips some cones and pushes poles aside, and those pigs run to hide in the brick house (3 min).
- The wolf huffs and puffs at the brick house, it doesn't fall, and he wanders off tired; the pigs celebrate with a dance (2 min).
- Together we rebuild the fallen houses, act out the story again with some children as the wolf, and finish in a circle talking about which house held up best and why (6 min).
Rules
- The wolf only blows and knocks the house over, never touches the pigs.
- All the pigs fit in the brick house: we make room.
- Whatever falls, we rebuild together.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the teacher is always the wolf, houses are small and the story is acted out once.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, groups build all three houses and a child plays the wolf in the second round.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, the brick house needs a two-high wall and a door, and children decide how to make the other houses sturdier.
Adaptations
- Autism: preview the story with pictures before the session and make it clear the wolf is the teacher pretending; anyone who needs to can be the wolf's helper.
- Limited mobility: the brick house has a wide door for a wheelchair, and that child can be the pig who designs it.
- Hearing impairment: use big gestures for huffing and a visual signal (hands at mouth) when the wolf appears.
Learning goals
- Build simple structures with different materials.
- Act out a traditional story with the body.
- Manage fear and excitement in a safe setting.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Cones: 15
- Plastic poles: 12
- Agility blocks: 36
Teacher tip
Play a silly wolf, not a scary one, with exaggerated huffing. The usual problem is everyone wanting to be the brick-house pig: assign groups before showing the materials.
PatioLab has "The Three Little Pigs Build Their Houses" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for Elementary
"Al Pasar la Barca" Parachute Rowing
Sitting around the parachute, children row by pulling the fabric toward them and letting it go toward the middle to the rhythm of the traditional Spanish song "Al pasar…
"Corro de la Patata" Parachute Circle
Children circle with the parachute while singing the traditional Spanish song "Al corro de la patata" (Potato Circle), and on "achupé, achupé" everyone sits down…
"El Patio de Mi Casa" Parachute Song
Children sing the traditional Spanish ring song "El patio de mi casa" while circling with the parachute and lowering it to the ground on "agáchate" (squat down).
"Que Llueva" Parachute Rain
Using the traditional Spanish children's song "Que llueva, que llueva" (Let It Rain), children make rain, clouds and sun with the parachute, and some hide underneath as…
«A la Zapatilla por Detrás»: The Slipper Behind Your Back
Sitting in a circle with eyes covered, one child walks around the outside with a slipper singing the traditional Spanish rhyme «A la zapatilla por detrás» («the…
«A Tapar la Calle»: The Chain That Blocks the Street
Half the class forms a hand-in-hand chain that walks forward singing the traditional Spanish song «A tapar la calle» («Block the street so nobody passes»), while the…