Little Red Hen Activities for EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage)

The Little Red Hen is a classic tale that offers so many opportunities for EYFS children to explore themes like teamwork, effort, and helping others.

These fun, hands-on Little Red Hen activities for EYFS link directly to Early Learning Goals and support development across all seven EYFS Areas of Learning.

Ovivio’s Recommended Little Red Hen Activities for Early Years:

Activity 1: Bread-Making Experience

Let children help mix, knead, and shape simple bread dough. Talk about the story as they work, and once baked, they can taste the bread they made – just like the Little Red Hen!

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Understanding the World
  • The Natural World:
    • Learning how ingredients change during baking.
  • People, Culture and Communities:
    • Exploring food preparation and sharing.
• Physical Development
  • Fine Motor Skills:
    • Kneading and shaping dough builds strength and coordination.
• Communication and Language
  • Speaking:
    • Talking about the process and retelling the story.

Activity 2: Story Sequencing with Pictures

Provide picture cards showing the story’s events. Children place them in order and explain what’s happening at each stage.

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Literacy
  • Comprehension:
    • Understanding the sequence of events.
  • Word Reading:
    • Recognising keywords or labels on the cards (for older children).
• Communication and Language
  • Listening, Attention and Understanding:
    • Following the storyline.
  • Speaking:
    • Retelling the story in their own words.

Activity 3: Hen and Farmyard Role Play

Transform your role play area into a mini farm with costumes, toy animals, and props. Children can take turns being the Little Red Hen or the other animals, re-enacting the story or creating new versions.

If the children enjoy it a lot, we’ve got a whole list of farm activities for you to try!

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Expressive Arts and Design
  • Being Imaginative and Expressive:
    • Role play encourages creativity and emotional expression.
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Building Relationships:
    • Working together builds cooperation and empathy.
• Communication and Language
  • Speaking:
    • Practising dialogue and using character voices supports language development.

Activity 4: Create a Class Little Red Hen Book

Each child draws a picture of their favourite part of the story and adds a sentence or mark-making underneath. Put all pages together to create a collaborative class book.

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Literacy
  • Writing:
    • Encouraging children to write or mark-make builds early writing confidence.
  • Comprehension:
    • Children reflect on the story’s message and share their views.
• Physical Development
  • Fine Motor Skills:
    • Drawing and writing support pencil control.
• Expressive Arts and Design
  • Creating with Materials:
    • Illustrating their page allows artistic freedom.

Activity 5: Animal Sound Guessing Game

Play recorded farm animal sounds and ask children to guess which animal it is. Follow this by identifying which animals appear in The Little Red Hen story.

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Communication and Language
  • Listening, Attention and Understanding: Practising careful listening to recognise sounds.
• Understanding the World
  • The Natural World: Learning more about farm animals and their environments.
• Expressive Arts and Design
  • Being Imaginative and Expressive: Copying and playing with animal sounds encourages creativity.

Activity 6: Grain Sorting Sensory Tray

Fill a tray with dried grains (e.g. wheat, rice, oats) and add scoops, pots, and farm animal toys. Children can scoop, sort, and explore texture while learning about the grains the hen used.

EYFS Areas of Development and Early Learning Goals:

• Mathematics
  • Number & Numerical Patterns:
    • Sorting grains by size or type supports mathematical thinking.
• Understanding the World
  • The Natural World:
    • Exploring where food comes from.
• Physical Development
  • Fine Motor Skills:
    • Scooping and pouring help refine small movements.

These Little Red Hen activities for EYFS bring the story to life through hands-on learning and imaginative play. Whether they’re baking bread, sequencing story events, or pretending to be a helpful hen, children will be developing key skills in a fun and meaningful way.

Perfect for UK nurseries and early years providers, this theme supports all EYFS Areas of Learning and Development and encourages teamwork, communication, and confidence through classic storytelling.