The Little Red Hen

Here's an old tale this author heard many times throughout his youth, called "The Little Red Hen." It's a story to help teach a good work ethic and strong personal initiative. We've put this tale into a moderately paced 2-beat musical form for your primary kids.

The melody is very easy to learn and there are multiple ways to perform it. The different segments of the story are told each time at measure 5. At measure 13 is where the fun begins. You can have groups singing each part or you could have a soloist on one part with a group on the other. Or you could have two soloists, depending on how complicated you want to make this. Another option (and you'll hear this on the demo recording) would be to have one or both of the parts spoken or shouted by your group or an individual. And you can change it all up each time, if you like. Or simply use our version as a model and go with it.

You will need a narrator each time at measure 21. This narration is actually the glue that ties the story line together, so make sure you get bold narrators, or you can be the narrator yourself.

It would be beneficial to find the tale online and read it to your students to familiarize them with the premise. It would also be an excellent time to discuss the merits of hard work and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Discuss the flip side as well – the consequence of laziness. It's a great lesson!