Hands-on fun with Mother Goose.
Mother Goose rhymes are still one of the best ways to build language skills. Here are crafty, creative ideas for sharing these classics.
Mother Goose activities
Mother Goose in a Paper Bag
If you need an easy, inexpensive Mother Goose activity, try the ideas below, based on familiar rhymes and using plain brown paper lunch bags.
For additional ideas:
- Read What Can You Do with a Paper Bag? (Juvenile Nonfiction/J745.54/Cre) by Judith Cressy. This book shows how to make many interesting and unusual hats and wigs: Little Bo Peep‘s Blue Ribbon Bonnet, a Queen of Sheba crown for Old King Cole, the 27 wigs of Gregory Griggs, and more. The difficulty level of each hat/wig is indicated.
- Visit the Enchanted Learning website for how to make a variety of animal puppets out of paper bags.
Paper Bag Clock for “Hickory Dickory Dock”
Hickory dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory dickory dock
- clock template from the Enchanted Learning website
- brown paper lunch bag
- brad fasteners
- Use the brad fastener to attach the clock to the paper bag, the bottom of the bag should be at the top.
- Use your clock as you sing “Hickory Dickory Dock.“
A Paper Bag Hill for “Jack and Jill“
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
- Jack and Jill finger puppet templates (on the Enchanted Learning Web site)
- a brown paper bag
- crayons/ markers
- Color the finger puppets with marker or crayons
- Cut out the finger puppets
- Turn the open bag upside-down. Move Jack and Jill up the “paper bag“ hill and down the other side as they fall down.
Paper Bag Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king‘s horses and all the king‘s men
Couldn‘t put Humpty together again.
- Humpty Dumpty templates (on DLTK‘s Printable Crafts for Kids Web site)
- crayons or markers
- glue sticks
- If you chose a black/white template, color the Humpty Dumpty pieces with crayons/ markers
- Cut out the Humpty Dumpty pieces and glue the face onto the eggs.
- Draw a large crack through one of the egg faces.
- Glue one face onto each side of the paper bag, the bottom of the bag should be facing up.
- Use the paper bag like a hand puppet, starting with the regular face. When Humpty Dumpty falls down, turn the bag around to display the cracked side.
Paper Bag Pumpkin for “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater“
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater;
Had a wife, and couldn‘t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well.
- lunch size paper bags
- orange paint
- paint brushes
- glue sticks
- masking tape
- Crumble some of the newspaper into balls and stuff them into a brown paper bag. Fill the bag almost to the top, but leave enough room to tape it closed.
- Hold the bag together at the top and tape it closed forming the ‘stem‘. Masking tape works best, because it can be painted over.
- Give each child paint and a brush and allow them to begin painting.
- Set the painted bags somewhere to dry.
- Use your pumpkins as you recite ”Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater.