There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activities

When I put together this book companion, I wanted children to have several ways to revisit the story. Feeding pictures to the old lady is a fun place to begin, and there are plenty of opportunities to keep the learning going through sequencing, picture questions, sorting, rhyming, drawing, and writing. These There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activities include six activities to use together and four student worksheets for follow up practice. You can choose the activities that suit your children and spread them across several days.

Here is how I would use the packet with preschool and kindergarten children.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activities: Try a Free Sample

Would you like to try these There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activities with your children? Download the free sample below for a closer look at the packet.

Start with the Story

Begin with a copy of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! by Lucille Colandro, illustrated by Jared Lee.

I would read the book once before introducing the activities so children can enjoy the story and discover what happens. Afterward, look back through the illustrations together and name the things the old lady swallowed.

This is a useful time to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary, such as horn of plenty, and make sure children recognize the pictures they will use in the activities.

Keep the book nearby throughout the week. Children can return to its pages whenever they want to check a detail or remember what happened next.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activities: Feeding

The feeding activity gives children something to do as they listen to the story again.

To prepare it, choose an old lady head, attach it to a box, and create an opening behind her mouth. Cut out the circular story pictures and keep the feeding order strip nearby as a reference.

Before reading, name the pictures together. As each item appears in the story, invite a child to find the matching piece and feed it to the old lady.

You can also use the prop after reading. Place the pictures on the table and ask children to help feed the old lady in story order.

For children who need a little support, offer two pictures at a time. Once they are familiar with the story, set out all seven and let them decide which one comes next.

Turkey Story Sequencing and Retelling

After children have helped feed the old lady, introduce the story sequencing mat.

Set out the seven picture pieces and work together to place them in order. Encourage children to talk as they move each picture:

“What did she swallow first?”

“What came next?”

“What did she swallow last?”

The packet includes a mat with picture cues and a mat with blank spaces. Begin with the picture cues when children need support, then use the blank mat when they are ready to recall the sequence themselves.

Once the pictures are arranged, invite children to use the completed mat to retell the story. Model words such as first, next, then, and last to help them connect their ideas.

The pieces can be moved and rearranged, so children have a chance to check their thinking before completing the cut and paste sequencing worksheet.

Talk About the Story with Picture Questions

The eight story question cards provide a simple way to revisit important details.

Each card has a question and three picture choices. Read the question aloud, then invite children to point to an answer or cover it with a counter.

For example, the question “What did the old lady swallow first?” gives children a chance to identify the turkey from the picture choices.

I would introduce these cards in a small group so everyone has time to respond. Children can begin by selecting a picture, then practice answering in a sentence with support.

If a question is tricky, look back at the book together. Finding the answer in the illustrations keeps the conversation connected to the story.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activities: Listen & Find

Listen and Find gives children practice connecting spoken clues with pictures.

Give each child a mat and counters. Name the pictures together before you begin, then read one of the included clues aloud. Children listen, find the matching picture, and cover it.

Pause between clues so they have time to think and respond. You can also invite children to explain what helped them choose a picture.

This activity works well as a short small group game after children are familiar with the story and its vocabulary.

Sort the Pictures with Did She Swallow It?

For this activity, children sort pictures onto two mats to show whether the old lady swallowed each item.

Mix the story pictures with the extra pictures. Have children choose a card, name it, and decide where it belongs.

Encourage them to explain their choices:

“She swallowed the turkey.”

“She did not swallow the teddy bear.”

For a smaller group or a shorter activity, begin with just a few cards. Add the remaining pictures as children become comfortable with the task.

Keep the book available for checking. The sorting mats also make a useful introduction to the What Did She Swallow? worksheet.

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Rhyming Activity

The old lady feeding prop gets another turn in this activity!

Feed a Rhyme includes four picture pairs:

• Cat and hat
• Wall and ball
• Goat and boat
• Moon and balloon

Name all the pictures together first. For this activity, call the football picture ball so children can hear its rhyme with wall.

Keep the cat, wall, goat, and moon pictures as your prompts. Set out the hat, ball, boat, and balloon pictures for children to choose from.

Show a prompt picture and say its name. For example, hold up the cat and ask, “Which picture rhymes with cat?”

Children find the hat, say the pair aloud, and feed the hat to the old lady.

If children are just beginning to recognize rhymes, offer two choices and say each pair together. Emphasize the matching ending sounds as you repeat “cat, hat.”

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Worksheets

These There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activities help children move from practicing together to completing familiar tasks more independently.

Introduce the directions and model what to do before children begin. They can then complete the pages with the level of support they need.

Story Sequencing

Children cut out the seven pictures and glue them into the numbered boxes in story order.

Use this page after working with the sequencing mat. Children can arrange their pieces first, check the order, and then glue them down.

They can also color the pictures and use the finished worksheet to tell the story to someone else.

What Did She Swallow?

Children look at the pictures and circle the things the old lady swallowed.

This page follows naturally from the sorting activity. Remind children to name each picture and think back to the story before circling it.

Once they have identified the story items, they can color the pictures.

Rhyming Pictures

Children say the names of the pictures, cut out the matching pieces, and glue each one beneath its rhyming partner.

This page uses the same rhyme pairs as Feed a Rhyme. Practicing the pairs aloud first helps children understand what they are looking for.

Encourage them to place all four pieces before gluing, then say each completed pair together.

My Parade Float

The parade float page gives children space to add their own ideas.

Children draw and color decorations on the float, then complete the sentence starter “My float has.”

Begin with a short conversation about what they would like to include. They might choose a turkey, pumpkins, leaves, or another Thanksgiving decoration.

Younger children can describe their float while an adult records their words. Children who are ready can write their own response and add another sentence with more detail.

For example:

“My float has a turkey. The turkey is brown with red, yellow and orange feathers.”

I like finishing with this page because children can make different choices and share something of their own.

Prepare the Activities for Repeated Use

Print the activity mats, cards, and picture pieces, then laminate them if you would like to use them repeatedly. The old lady head is provided in three skin tones so you can choose the version you would like to prepare.

Keep each activity’s pieces in a separate bag or envelope with its mat or teacher directions. Store the feeding order strip with the feeding pictures so it is easy to find.

For the worksheets, gather crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue. If cutting would make it difficult for a child to focus on the sequencing or rhyming task, provide pieces that have already been cut out.

Choose a Few Activities at a Time

Spread these There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activities across several days, choosing one or two for each session and revisiting the book as needed.

You might begin with the book and feeding prop, then use the sequencing mat and question cards during your next session. Introduce the listening, sorting, and rhyming activities over the following days, with the matching worksheets afterward.

The worksheets can also provide follow up practice for children who are ready to work more independently while you support a small group.

This gives you room to repeat a favorite activity, spend more time on a skill, or select just the pages that fit your plans.

Get the There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey Activities

You can find the complete There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey activities packet in my store.

The packet includes six activities, four student worksheets, and teacher directions to help you prepare and use the materials.

Please note that the storybook is not included and needs to be purchased or borrowed separately.

Happy Teaching! 😊

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