The classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk offers a rich platform for early years learning, helping to develop literacy, maths, creativity, and understanding of the world.
Below are some exciting Jack and the Beanstalk activities for EYFS, designed to inspire curiosity and imagination while meeting key EYFS learning goals.
Blossom’s Recommended Jack and the Beanstalk Activities for Early Years:
1. Jack and the Beanstalk Story Time and Retelling
Begin by reading Jack and the Beanstalk to the children, using props or puppets to bring the characters to life. After reading, encourage the children to retell the story in their own words.
You can enhance the experience with role play, asking children to act as Jack, the Giant, and other characters. This helps develop comprehension, listening, and speaking skills while promoting confidence in storytelling.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Literacy (Comprehension)
- Communication and Language (Speaking, Listening)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Managing Self)
2. Planting a Beanstalk
Bring the story to life by letting children plant their own beans in small pots. As the beans grow, they can water and care for them, observing how they change over time. This activity helps children understand the basics of plant life cycles and caring for living things.
Use this opportunity to discuss the growth process, such as sunlight and water, and make predictions about how tall their beanstalk will grow.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Understanding the World (The Natural World)
- Mathematics (Number)
- Communication and Language (Speaking, Listening)
3. Bean Counting and Sorting
Use dried beans or plastic counting beans to create a simple maths game. Ask children to sort the beans by size or colour, count them into groups, or use them for basic addition and subtraction activities.
This hands-on activity builds early maths skills such as counting, sorting, and understanding quantity.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Mathematics (Number)
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Communication and Language (Speaking)
4. Building Jack’s Castle
Provide building blocks or recycled materials to create the giant’s castle in the sky. Encourage the children to work together to design and build a sturdy structure, considering its size, shape, and features.
This helps develop spatial awareness, the kind of maths that involves comparing sizes and weights, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative and Expressive)
- Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Building Relationships)
- Mathematics (Numerical Patterns)
5. Giant Footprint Measuring Activity
Create large cut-outs of the giant’s footprints and let the children use different objects (e.g., cubes, their own feet, or rulers) to measure how big they are. This activity helps children understand measurement concepts while practising comparison and counting.
You can also compare the size of Jack’s feet with the giant’s, or even their own feet, reinforcing the concept of big versus small. They can even paint their feet and walk on the cutouts to see how many times their feet fit into the giant’s footsteps!
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Mathematics (Number, Numerical Patterns)
- Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills)
- Communication and Language (Speaking)
6. Jack and the Beanstalk Puppet Show
Let children create their own puppets using craft materials such as paper, popsicle sticks, and googly eyes. They can create characters from the story – Jack, the Giant, the cow, and others – and use these puppets to retell the story.
Puppet shows encourage creativity, social interaction, and self-expression.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Expressive Arts and Design (Creating with Materials)
- Communication and Language (Speaking)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Managing Self, Building Relationships)
7. Jack’s Adventure Movement Activity
Create a simple obstacle course where children can “climb the beanstalk,” “run from the giant,” or “collect golden eggs.”
Incorporate elements of the story into the course to engage children’s imagination while promoting physical development through gross motor skills like running, jumping, and balancing.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Learning Goals:
- Physical Development (Gross Motor Skills)
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (Managing Self, Self-Regulation)
- Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative and Expressive)
Incorporating Jack and the Beanstalk activities for EYFS into your curriculum offers young children an engaging way to develop essential skills across a variety of learning areas.
From storytelling and role play to planting and counting games, these activities foster creativity, literacy, and understanding of the world while meeting EYFS objectives.
