Old Mother Hubbard Craft for Preschool: 3 Ideas
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Mother Goose nursery rhymes have been around for generations and originally had a variety of purposes; to teach letters, numbers, to mark historic events, and to entertain with riddles, tongue twisters, lullabies, and prayers. The rhyme Old Mother Hubbard has two main characters; the old lady and her dog. The cupboard plays a major role as well. Invite the children to recite and learn this rhyme and then pick an Old Mother Hubbard craft for prek from these three selections.

Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard

To get her poor dog a bone.

_

But when she got there,

The cupboard was bare.

And so the poor dog had none.

The Cupboard

Materials:

  • Brown construction paper
  • Crayons
  • Old magazines and food ads
  • Glue or glue stick
  • Safety scissors

Procedure:

  1. Explain to the children that a cupboard is a place to store food. In the nursery rhyme the cupboard was bare so there was no food, not even a bone for the dog. In this craft, the children will fill the cupboard with good healthy food - maybe even something for the dog.
  2. Fold the sheet of construction paper in half and crease lightly to mark the center.
  3. Help the children to fold each side inward so they meet in the center. This is a replica of a cupboard with two doors that open.
  4. Show them how to draw a line across the paper inside to make a shelf.
  5. Invite the children to search through magazines and food ads to find good food to fill Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.
  6. Provide precut dog bones from construction paper or a real dog cookie to glue inside the cupboard.

The Word - Dog

This craft helps the children to learn the word “dog.”

Materials:

  • A piece of poster board or cardboard
  • Markers
  • Glue
  • Dry dog food or mini-bones

Procedure:

  1. Explain to the children that the word dog is a simple word with only three letters. Pre-write the word dog in large letters on each cardboard sheet.
  2. Say the letters together and show the children how to trace the letters with their fingers.
  3. Invite the children to place glue inside each letter and fill in the space with dry dog food or mini dog bones.
  4. Supervise children during this craft, explaining that this food is for dogs and not children.

Dog Headbands

Children enjoy wearing props when pretending to be the character in this rhyme, which is a dog. Make this craft and enjoy imaginative play together.

Dog ears thumbnail-1

Materials:

  • Light brown/tan construction paper (large sheet)
  • Safety scissors
  • Crayons
  • Stapler
  • Tape

Procedure:

  1. Before class, draw two dog ears and a line across the paper for the headband strip.
  2. Help the children cut down the line for the headband strip and also cut out the two dog ears. Younger children may need help with this task.
  3. Invite the children to add details to the dog ears and headband strip with crayons. Remember some dogs have darker colored ears and other dogs have spots on them.
  4. Fit the headband to the child’s head and staple. Also staple the two dog ears in place. Add tape over the stapled area to prevent scratching and pulling of hair.
  5. Fold over the top of each ear to make it floppy.
  6. Have the children wear their dog ears and recite the rhyme again.

Most children are dog lovers, so making an Old Mother Hubbard craft and reciting the rhyme will be an enjoyable activity for your nursery rhyme or dog theme in your classroom.

Photo Credit: https://www.holidayhouse.com/titles_by_theme.php?THEME1=Music

This post is part of the series: Preschool Dog Theme Activities

Dogs and puppies are favorites of children and a popular theme for preschool classes. Included in this series are articles that take dogs across the curriculum, including art, music, games, and language arts.

  1. Make Puppy Dog Ears With Your Preschool Class
  2. Old Mother Hubbard: Nursery Rhyme Craft for Prek
  3. Dog Paper Plates: Three Creative Art Projects for the Preschool Classroom