Step into the magical world of Little Red Riding Hood! This classic fairy tale is perfect for inspiring creativity, building confidence, and encouraging teamwork while covering all EYFS Areas of Learning and Development.
These fun and educational Little Red Riding Hood activities for EYFS will engage young learners and help them achieve their Early Learning Goals.
Blossom’s Recommended Little Red Riding Hood Activities for Early Years:
Activity 1: Create a Story Basket
Fill a basket with props like a red cape, a toy wolf, a picnic basket, and a toy granny if you’ve got one. Let the children use the props to retell the story, act out key scenes, or make up their own endings.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Communication and Language
- Listening, Attention and Understanding:
- Retelling the story helps children focus on the sequence and details.
- Speaking:
- Acting out the story builds vocabulary and encourages storytelling.
- Listening, Attention and Understanding:
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Being Imaginative and Expressive:
- Role-playing with the props inspires creativity.
- Being Imaginative and Expressive:
- Literacy
- Comprehension:
- Retelling the story deepens understanding of plot and characters.
- Comprehension:
Activity 2: Design a Little Red Cape
Provide red fabric, paper, or felt and let children create their own Little Red Riding Hood cape.
They can decorate it with ribbons, stickers, or drawings to make it uniquely theirs.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Creating with Materials:
- Children use materials to design and personalise their capes.
- Being Imaginative and Expressive:
- Dressing up encourages role-play and storytelling.
- Creating with Materials:
- Physical Development
- Fine Motor Skills:
- Cutting and glueing materials improve hand control and coordination.
- Fine Motor Skills:
Activity 3: Big Bad Wolf Obstacle Course
Set up an obstacle course where children must “run away from the wolf” by crawling under tables, jumping over cushions, and balancing on beams.
Add a picnic basket to carry through the course for an extra challenge!
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Physical Development
- Gross Motor Skills:
- Running, jumping, and balancing improves strength and coordination.
- Fine Motor Skills:
- Carrying objects through the course strengthens dexterity.
- Gross Motor Skills:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Managing Self:
- Completing the course builds confidence and resilience.
- Managing Self:
- Communication and Language
- Listening, Attention and Understanding:
- Following instructions develops focus and comprehension.
- Listening, Attention and Understanding:
Activity 4: Build Granny’s Cottage
Provide building blocks, cardboard and craft supplies for children to build their version of Granny’s cottage. They can decorate it with paper flowers, draw windows, or even make a little bed for Granny.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Creating with Materials:
- Building the cottage encourages creativity and problem-solving.
- Being Imaginative and Expressive:
- The cottage can be used in role-play for storytelling.
- Creating with Materials:
- Understanding the World
- The Natural World:
- Discuss materials that make houses strong and safe, linking to the cottage.
- The Natural World:
Activity 5: Little Red’s Picnic Sorting Game
Set up a pretend picnic with toy food or laminated pictures of snacks.
Ask children to sort the items into categories, such as fruits, vegetables, and treats, and count how many items are in each group.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Mathematics
- Number:
- Counting food items reinforces number recognition.
- Numerical Patterns:
- Sorting by category introduces pattern recognition.
- Number:
- Physical Development
- Fine Motor Skills:
- Picking up and sorting items strengthens precision.
- Fine Motor Skills:
Activity 6: Write a Letter to Granny
Encourage children to write or dictate a letter to Granny warning her about the wolf.
Provide paper, pencils and envelopes to make the experience feel authentic.
EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and Early Learning Goals:
- Literacy
- Writing:
- Mark-making and simple sentence writing develop early literacy skills.
- Comprehension:
- Creating a letter deepens understanding of the story.
- Writing:
- Communication and Language
- Speaking:
- Explaining what they’ve written builds language skills and confidence.
- Speaking:
These Little Red Riding Hood activities for EYFS combine the magic of storytelling with hands-on learning, covering everything from role play and creative crafts to science experiments and physical challenges. Children will develop key skills across all EYFS Areas of Learning and Development while exploring this timeless tale.
For UK nurseries and early years providers, these activities are perfect for sparking creativity and imagination while supporting children’s Early Learning Goals.
Let the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood begin!
