A fun project to go with a classic children’s story, this craftivity uses simple shapes to draw, cut, and paste a whimsical little red hen.

You’ll Need . . .

• 8.5 x 11 red paper
• 8.5 x 11 background paper (we used black)
• small piece of yellow paper (I cut 8.5 x 11 sheets into fourths)
• glue stick or white liquid glue
• black crayon or marker
• colored feathers

Draw the Shapes

We use basic shapes to create the hen’s body parts which will then be cut and assembled. Before starting, I stress that the kids watch before picking up their crayon or marker. This cuts down on less “mistakes” from kiddos who think they know what to do and want to jump ahead.

1. On the red paper, draw a large, fat “U” shape. Emphasize large. This will be the hen’s body.

2. Give the U shape a straight line “hat.”

3. Somewhere else on the paper, draw another smaller fat “U” with a hat. This will be the hen’s wing.

4. Draw a large circle or oval on another place on the red paper. This will be the hen’s head.

5. On the smaller yellow paper, draw a triangle. This will be the beak.

6. Draw two long rectangles. These will be the hen’s legs.

Cut the Shapes

Have the kids cut out all the drawn shapes from the red and yellow papers.

Glue the Shapes

Before assembling, I suggest kids turn their shapes over so the side with marker/crayon is flat on the table (and will be the underside of the hen). Some took my advice, others chose not to. Doesn’t matter either way, just looks cleaner without the cutting lines.

Assemble the hen by gluing the head, wing and leg pieces to the body, and the beak to the head.

Draw eyes with the crayon or marker (or add googly eyes!).

Decorate!

Adding feathers is by far their favorite part. Instruct the kids to smear glue onto the hen instead of the feathers. Saves lots of mess, and the feathers stick a lot better.

Mount on background paper (if desired).

Little Red Hens . . .