Sample of Activity Ideas

Explore the Story

Act out the story from the scripted version in the Materials Tab. This will allow you to lead the acting out Helicopter Stories style.

Look at the images from the word bank. There are copies to print in the Material Tab.

Retell the story of The Ugly Duckling and act it out. (You will find an abridged version in the Materials Tab.)

Thoughts for Discussion

How did the swan’s egg end up in Mother Duck’s nest?

Why did the other ducklings think their brother was ugly?

At the end of the story, the ugly duckling has grown into a swan. What would happen if he ever went back to the farmyard?

Activity Ideas

Invite the children to make their own swan. There are several examples in the photos on this page. Paper plates are very effective or cardboard tubes with cut out hand prints for feathers.

Create a lake in the water tray, and fill it with rubber ducks. Invite the children to retell the Ugly Duckling story around it. 

Get the children to curl up into a ball and pretend to be a duckling breaking out of its egg. Try getting two children to be the egg shell with a third breaking out from inside. Below is a recording of the music used in the story when the Ugly Duckling hatches.

Invite the children to walk like the different characters. Can they waddle like Mother Duck? The Ugly Duckling had big feet; how does that effect the way he walks? How about the other ducklings who have much smaller feet? 

Play Follow my Leader. The children stand in a circle and pretend to be ducklings. Taking turns, each child gets to be Mother Duck. She wanders around the circle collecting ducklings as she goes and calling to them with the words, “Let’s go to the ……., follow me!” Once she has said where they are going, the other ducklings can follow in a long line.

Get the children to try laughing in a mean and nasty way. How is a mean laugh different to a normal one?

Think about the signs of Spring as the story of the Ugly Duckling begins and ends in the Spring. Go on a walk and see if you can spot any signs of Spring.

Fun Resources

• Paper plates
• Cardboard tubes
• Rubber ducks
• A water tray