RIC-20938 Early years Fairytales - Ugly Duckling

EARLY YEARS THEMES 

Fairytales 

The ugly duckling 

A complete unit of lessons and activities

Early years themes—Fairytales 

Published by R.I.C. Publications ® 2011 

Copyright © R.I.C. Publications ® 2011 

RIC– 20938 

Titles in this series: 

Early years themes—Places 

Early years themes—People 

Early years themes—Animals 

Early years themes—Science 

Early years themes—Fantasy 

Early years themes—Fairytales 

Early years themes—Special days and celebrations 

Copyright Information 

Only the blackline masters contained within this 

publication may only be reproduced by the original 

purchaser for use with their class(es). The publisher 

prohibits the loaning or onselling of these blackline 

masters for purposes of reproduction. No other part 

of this publication may be reproduced in any form or 

by any means, electronic or mechanical, including 

photocopying or recording, or by any information 

storage and retrieval system, without written 

permission from the publisher. 

Accompanying resources available: 

Early years themes—Fairytales Posters (set of 5) 

Early years themes—Fairytales Stickers (set of 5) 

Early years themes Interactive CD (Places, People, 

Animals, Science) 

Early years themes Interactive CD (Fantasy, Fairytales, 

Special days and celebrations) 

Internet websites 

In some cases, websites or specific URLs may be recommended. While these are checked and rechecked at the time of publication, 

the publisher has no control over any subsequent changes which may be made to webpages. It is strongly recommended that the class 

teacher checks all URLs before allowing students to access them. 

View all pages online 

PO Box 332 Greenwood Western Australia 6924 

Website: www.ricpublications.com.au 

Email: mail@ricgroup.com.au

Teachers notes 

The format of this series of books 

This series of books is designed to cater for early childhood teachers who use learning centres and cross-curricular activities as 

a basis for planning activities to develop key concepts and skills. Teachers will easily be able to locate activity-based learning 

within this complete compilation of ideas. 

All of the five themes within each book follow the same format over 20 pages. Each theme consists of: 

1. A title or cover page with 

appropriate artwork which the 

teacher can utilise for themebased 

activities. 

2. A number of pages of cross-curricular learning activities to develop the 

theme. Those themes which relate closely to a specific learning area may 

have more activities in key learning areas such as science. All themes 

have activities which are predominantly ‘hands-on’. 

3. Background information with useful facts about the theme. 

4. A list of concepts to be developed provides suggested developmentallyappropriate 

learning outcomes to be achieved by completing the theme. 

iv Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®


The format of this series of books 

5. A small number of resource/blackline pages which can be used 

to create games or oral language activities, as templates for art 

and craft activities or as worksheets for more capable children who 

are beginning to read and understand mathematical concepts. 

6. Recipes relating to the theme— 

simple cooking and non-cooking 

recipes, including those for 

manipulative play, such as ‘goop’. 

7. Display ideas for art and craft or 

specific learning centres. 

8. A list of literature resources to 

complement the theme, including 

songs, action rhymes and fiction 

and nonfiction books. 

9. A notes section to enable the teacher 

to record useful websites or resources 

relating to the theme, or other 

worthwhile activities or ideas etc. 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales v


An explanation of the icons 

A number of icons have been used throughout the cross-curricular activities sections to make it easier and quicker for teachers to 

locate appropriate learning activities. 

Fine motor activities—building with blocks, puzzles, sorting, sand and water play, sensory items 

such as ‘feely boxes’, playdough or clay work, threading, chalkboards, construction using recycled 

materials such as boxes 

Outdoor play—sand and/or water play (see also ‘fine motor activities’); gross motor activities such as 

climbing, balancing, bikes, scooters, jumping, throwing, obstacle course activities etc.; tracking activities 

using balloons and bubbles etc.; other messy art activities 

Dramatic play—home corner, dramatising stories, dressing up, puppets, shopping etc. 

Art and craft—free painting, directed and supervised painting, 

craft (assisted and independent) 

Computer—suggestions for simple games or activities 

(usually individual or pairs) or relevant internet activities 

Cooking—supervised activities, some of which use heat 

Games—indoor or outdoor games relating to literacy such as card 

games, memory games etc.; mathematics, singing games, any 

physical education games involving movement etc. 

Writing—tracing, copying, writing on, and with, different things—cards, different types of paper etc.; 

adding patterns or stripes etc.; tracking and following paths, dot-to-dot activities etc. 

vi Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®


About the artwork 

All the artwork in this series of books is: 

• age-appropriate 

• teacher- and child-friendly 

• an additional resource to help develop the theme 

• suitable for enlarging for: 

~ colouring 

~ handwriting 

~ dot-to-dot sheets 

~ use as templates for art and craft activities 

~ visual texts to encourage oral language development. 

Some artworks are based on simple shapes to support learning in the mathematics 

area; others are more elaborate. It is anticipated that early childhood teachers will 

view an illustration based on shapes and be able to use this idea to develop concrete 

play activities using shapes or as a technology and design project. More elaborate 

artwork is used to demonstrate a teaching resource which needs to be made, a recipe, 

game or other activity. 

Examples of artwork relating to art and craft activities have wide, bold, easily visible 

cutting outlines to allow the children some variation in the cutting path they will use. 

About the resource sheets/blacklines 

Resource sheets/blacklines contain: 

• simple, age-appropriate artwork 

• prominent visual clues 

• little or no text 

• visual clues to support text pages 

• few instructions, so as not to confuse beginning readers 

• teacher instructions in the margins with a number of different 

suggestions for using the resource sheet/blackline 

• literacy and numeracy activities. 

These resource sheets/blacklines are included as valuable time-savers 

for teachers. 

It is anticipated that the teacher will enlarge any pages to A3 size and 

photocopy them onto more durable paper or card, to make them easier 

for learners of this age group to manipulate. 

The cross-curricular section of each theme includes a reference to 

resource sheets/blacklines relating to specific activities. 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales vii


Curriculum links 

All the learning activities in this series of books support the key learning areas of the current curriculum documents. 

In particular, one or more activities also support each strand of the new English and Mathematics National Curriculum. The 

specific strands from the National Curriculum relating to each activity are denoted by the words in brackets in the English and 

Mathematics learning areas of the cross-curricular section. 

For example, in the ‘The three billy goats Gruff’ theme: 

English Talk about the use of capital letters for the beginning of special names such as ‘Gruff’. Create a goat from 

a large capital ‘G’. Use cardboard, paper, crayons and googly eyes. Alternatively, cover a lower-case ‘g’ 

with Easter grass. (Language) 

Mathematics 

Reference to both is shown below. 

Provide coloured pattern blocks or coloured paper shapes for the children to create goat shapes from. 

(Measurement and Geometry) 

Relevant curriculum reference 

NSW 

Qld 

SA 

Vic. 

WA 

National Curriculum: refer to pages 6 and 11 of Shape of the Australian Curriculum: English 

National Curriculum: refer to pages 6 and 7 of Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics 

National Curriculum: Science learning activities also support pages 6 and 7 of Shape of the Australian 

Curriculum: Science 

Belonging, being and becoming: The early years framework for Australia (2009) 

Refer to Early years curriculum guidelines page 55 (Table 9: A 

summary of the learning statements in the early learning areas) 

and pages 61–75. 

Refer to ‘Early years band: Age 3–Age 5’. South Australian 

Curriculum, Standards and Accountability at . 

Refer to Victorian essential learning standards Level 1 at 

. 

Refer to K-3 scope-and-sequence charts at . 

viii Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®


Sample social skills checklist 

Date: 

Student name 

separates easily from 

parents 

interacts readily with 

adults 

interacts readily with 

peers 

shares with others and 

takes turns 

participates in group 

activities 

cooperates with others 

accepts responsibility 

for own behaviour 

respects the property 

of others 

respects the feelings of 

others 

listens without 

interrupting 

expresses feelings 

appropriately 

solves simple problems 

is developing an 

awareness of the wider 

community 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales ix


Sample language skills checklist 

Date: 

Student name 

communicates needs clearly 

articulates most words correctly 

relates personal experiences 

contributes to discussions 

uses age-appropriate 

vocabulary 

articulates most initial sounds 

correctly 

asks appropriate questions 

speaks in complete sentences 

relates events in order of 

occurrence 

able to tell a story from pictures 

retells a familiar story without 

pictures or clues 

uses simple compound 

sentences 

responds appropriately to 

questions about himself/herself 

listens to a story for a given 

length of time 

follows simple two-step 

instructions 

knows his/her first and last 

names 

recognises rhyming words 

answers simple oral cloze 

questions 

labels emotions such as happy, 

sad, angry, scared … 

x Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®


Sample fine motor skills checklist 

Date: 

Student name 

completes simple puzzles 

builds a tower of eight or more 

small blocks 

dresses himself/herself (apart 

from buttons and shoelaces) 

manipulates playdough to 

create a specific object 

places small pegs in small 

holes 

threads small beads 

uses scissors to cut out simple 

shapes and pictures 

completes simple folding 

activities 

uses a knife, fork and spoon 

correctly 

holds a crayon or pencil 

correctly 

colours within lines 

writes or copies own name 

draws and copies simple 

pictures 

copies a sequence of letters or 

numbers adequately 

traces or recreates patterns 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales xi


Sample fundamental movement skills checklist 

Date: 

Explicit teaching 

Exposure 

Student name 

balances on one 

foot (static balance) 

runs 

jumps vertically 

catches a ball or 

beanbag 

hops 

throws a ball or 

beanbag using an 

overarm movement 

gallops sideways 

skips 

leaps 

kicks a ball 

strikes a ball or 

object using a twohanded 

strike 

dodges a ball or 

object 

xii Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®


Sample mathematics skills checklist 

Date: 

Number and algebra Measurement and geometry Statistics and probability 

Student name 

recognises numerals 1 to 

writes numerals 1 to 

rote counts to 

places numerals to 

in correct order 

understands one-to-one 

correspondence 

understands ‘more than’ and ‘less 

than’ 

able to do simple addition and 

subtraction using concrete materials 

shares collections 

creates or completes a pattern 

measures using everyday items 

makes comparison of size and 

length 

recognises basic shapes 

identifies attributes of objects and 

collections 

is aware of use of devices used 

for measuring (scales, tape etc.) 

shows awareness of 

(money, temperature, time) 

sorts or orders objects 

is aware of collections and 

presentations of data 

interprets data in a display 

makes predictions about chance 

events 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales xiii

xiv Early years themes—Fairytales www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®

Cross-curricular activities 

• Read two or more different versions of ‘The ugly 

duckling’ to the children and compare them. Discuss 

each cover illustration, author’s name (if applicable), 

illustrator’s name, illustrations, text and back cover. 

Talk about the differences and similarities in authors, 

events, characters, text and illustrations. Ask them to 

say which version they prefer. Count the votes if desired. 

(Language, Literature) 

• Encourage the children to bring any versions of the 

fairytale which they may have at home to display or 

talk about. (Language, Literature) 

• Read a variety of other fairytales to the children so that 

they are familiar with the beginning and ending phrases 

(For example: ‘Once upon a time …’ and ‘… they lived 

happily ever after’.) Explain that fairytales usually 

include these phrases. (Language, Literacy) 

• Revise or introduce the initial sounds of ‘u’ for ‘ugly’ and ‘d’ 

for ‘duckling’. List as a class, or encourage the children as 

individuals to write or draw pictures of other words which 

begin with ‘u’ or ‘d’ on an umbrella or duckling shape. 

(Language) 

• As a class, make up sensible or nonsense phrases and 

sentences using words starting with ‘u’ and ‘d’, for example: 

‘ugly umbrella’ and ‘dirty dumplings’. Clap the syllables in 

the phrases. Provide paper and drawing implements to 

allow the children to draw funny pictures describing the 

phrases and sentences. Urge the children to make up 

some of their own to illustrate, if desired. Encourage them 

to try to write their own words. (Language) 

• Introduce or revise the ‘s’ sound for ‘swan’. Brainstorm to 

list, write and draw pictures of things which begin with ‘s’. 

(Language, Literacy) 

• Talk about words relating to the story which are 

opposites: ugly/beautiful, fat/thin, rich/poor, fast/ 

slow, wet/dry, young/old, good/bad, happy/sad, safe/ 

dangerous etc. Dramatise any which are applicable, 

such as fast/slow.(Language) 

• Play the game ‘I am thinking of a word which rhymes 

with “swan”’. Provide a clue to help the children guess. 

Use words such as on, gone, John, bonbon and 

Taiwan. (Language) 

English 

• Brainstorm to list words which rhyme with ‘ugly’ and 

‘duckling’. (Language) 

• Introduce, or revise, the term ‘characters’. Select specific 

characters in the story to discuss. Ask: ‘What are they 

like?’, ‘What did they do?’. Be sure to select characters 

relevant to the particular version of the fairytale being 

used. Complete a similar activity about ‘settings’. 

Provide paper and implements for the children to draw 

pictures of the farm, the marshes, the cottage and the 

garden. (Literature) 

• Clap the syllables in specific words relating to the story; 

for example: duckling, ugly, swan. (Language) 

• Make up a class fairytale. Sit in a circle. The teacher 

starts the fairytale with ‘Once upon a time …’ and 

then each child is given an opportunity to add a line 

to the story. For those children who are reticent or 

need inspiration, provide pictures of various fairytalelike 

characters (witch, fairy, dwarf, giant, troll etc.), 

places (castle, forest, lake etc.) and related items (a 

magic wand, a bottle labelled poison etc.). This allows 

these children to select a picture of something they 

would like to add to the class fairytale. When the story 

is completed, ask each child to illustrate his/her own 

part of the story. To make remembering each part of 

the fairytale easier, tape the activity on a recorder or 

camera. (Language, Literature, Literacy) 

• Place A4- or A3-sized outlines of the lower-case letter 

‘u’ at the writing table for the children to add features to 

make it ‘ugly’. Discuss what types of things the children 

think would make a person (or animal) look ‘ugly’ and 

why. Provide a variety of coloured drawing utensils (as 

suggested by the children) and collage materials to 

complete an ugly ‘u’. (Language, Literacy) 

• Provide cardboard copies of 

the letter ‘s’ for the children to 

add white paper shapes and/or 

feathers onto to create a swan. 


• Practise wavy writing patterns 

by using large implements such 

as crayons and blue paint and 

paintbrushes. Use the patterns 

to create a pond for a duck 

or swan. Refer to page 70. 


62 Early years themes—Fairytales—The ugly duckling www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ®

The ugly duckling – 1 

Mathematics 

• Look at, and compare, the sizes of various eggs: 

duck, swan, turkey, emu, chicken, ostrich etc. Order 

from largest to smallest, or smallest to largest. Use 

templates of different sizes to trace around and cut out 

the different-sized eggs. In order of size, from largest 

to smallest, the eggs are: ostrich, emu, turkey, swan, 

duck and chicken. Refer to page 71. (Measurement 

and Geometry) 

Ostrich egg Swan egg Turkey egg Duck egg Lark egg 

• Play the game ‘Place the eggs in the nest’. Provide 

children with coloured, laminated, cardboard nest 

shapes, and up to 10 smaller egg shapes. When 

asked, the children place a given number of eggs in 

the nest. Alternatively, nest shapes can be created for 

a specific number of egg outlines for the children to 

complete. (Number and Algebra) 

• Place a variety of different sized, coloured and dressed 

rubber ducks in the water tray. Ask the children to sort 

them into groups and give reasons for placing the 

ducks in the categories. (Number and Algebra) 

• At the bottom of recycled egg cartons, write the numbers 

1 to 12 (or use half of a carton and write the numbers 1 

to 6) using black marker. Give each child an egg carton 

and ask them to place the correct number of counters in 

each space as directed. (Number and Algebra) 

• Talk about mathematical words which are opposites 

such as big/little, tall/short, fat/thin, full/empty, long/ 

short, near/far, high/low. Relate these to various 

aspects of the story; for example: the duckling was little 

but the mother duck was big; spring was warm but 

winter was cold. (Measurement and Geometry) 

• Use coloured wooden blocks to create a duck or swan 

shape. A pattern block template can be provided or the 

children could be encouraged to create their own. Once 

the shape duck or swan is completed, count how many 

shapes were used in total, as well as the number of 

each type used. Encourage the children to make more 

than one duck or swan shape and to use different 

shapes. Refer to page 69 for a duck template to use. 

(Measurement and Geometry, Number and Algebra) 

• Sequence pictures of the main events of ‘The ugly duckling’ 

in the correct order. Refer to page 75. (Measurement and 

Geometry) 

• Play a ‘How many legs?’ counting game with the 

children. Ask: ‘In the nest, there was one egg. How 

many legs were there after the duckling hatched?’ 

Repeat the game using a different number of eggs in 

the nest and hatched ducklings. (Number and Algebra) 

• Make simple word patterns using the words ‘duck’ and 

‘swan’—e.g. ‘duck, duck, swan, duck, duck, swan’. 

Use the children (wearing simple masks or headbands 

with duck or swan shapes on them) to stand in line to 

create the patterns. (Statistics and Probability) 

• Discuss the possibility of a mother duck confusing 

a duck’s egg with a swan’s egg. (Statistics and 

probability; Understanding) 

• Discuss how the swan’s egg came to be in the duck’s 

nest: Who could have put it there? Why? How possible 

is it that each reason given may have occurred? 

(Statistics and probability) 

• On a basic duckling shape, ask the children to cut (or 

tear), and glue on small pieces of grey or dull-coloured 

tissue paper squares or circles to cover the whole area. 

Overlap them to create a textured ‘feathery’ effect. When 

dry, cut off any paper protruding over the outline. Add 

googly eyes and a coloured paper triangular beak. 

(Measurement and Geometry) 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales—The ugly duckling 63


Society and environment 

• Swans build a nest in which to lay their eggs. Look at 

images of swans’ nests and use large wooden blocks to 

construct similar nests. Talk about other animal homes 

and their names—burrow, den, lair, hutch, pond, hive, 

cocoon, kennel, stable etc. 

• Ask the children to relate personal experiences relating 

to swans or ducks. Ask the children where they went to 

see the swans and/or ducks, what the event was and 

what happened. Encourage them to describe the birds’ 

feet, feathers, colour, shape and size. The children may 

wish to draw or write about the experience for a class 

book. 

• The ugly duckling’s was the last, and largest, egg to 

hatch. This means he was the youngest in the family. 

Ask the children about their position in the family. Are 

they the oldest/youngest/only/middle? Encourage the 

children to find out how much they weighed at birth 

and, if possible, bring in a baby photo of themselves 

and their favourite baby toy. They may also be able to 

find out the exact time they ‘hatched’. 

• Swans eat mostly underwater vegetation (such as 

roots, tubers, stems and leaves), but in winter they 

also eat grass or grains. Occasionally, they may also 

eat insects and some aquatic animals. Talk about how 

swans get the underwater food. Some wildlife parks 

provide specially prepared bags of grain for visitors 

to buy to feed to ducks or swans. If possible, let the 

children examine some. 

• Sequence pictures in the correct order to show the 

progression from egg to adult swan. Refer to page 72. 

Health and physical education 

• Hold an egg-and-spoon race using plastic or hard-boiled 

eggs. Have the children walk, run or waddle to a designated 

spot while balancing the egg on the spoon. 

• Teach the children this skipping rope rhyme (starting 

with ‘d’) which they can use to play games within the 

playground: ‘Dum-dum-dodo’. Catch me if you can, I can 

jump better than can’. Select a child to jump while 

the verse is being recited. Then the named person enters 

the rope and selects someone else. 

• Play the game ‘Duck, duck, goose’ but change the words to 

‘Duck, duck, swan’. Refer to for instructions to 

how to play. 

• Create an obstacle course representing the major events in 

the story in order: Provide hoops for the children to ‘waddle’ 

around in like ducks in a nest; lay out a large plastic 

tarpaulin to swim across on stomachs; set up witch’s hats 

(marshy area) to run through; cover adult-sized chairs 

with a blanket as the cottage to creep through; provide a 

balance beam to walk across (or balance flat on the back) 

to represent the frozen lake; provide a triangular climbing 

frame to traverse (for the farmer’s hut); provide a balancing 

board representing the cold, hard winter; and, finally, set 

up swings to ‘fly high’ like a swan. 

• Provide your children with eggs cooked in different 

ways (hard-boiled, scrambled, poached, fried etc.) 

and let them taste the difference and state their 

preference. 

• Find images of cygnets (baby swans) and ducklings 

from internet or book resources and ask: ‘Are the 

cygnets ugly?’ Hopefully, the answer will be ‘No’. 

The children should then look at the ducklings and 

answer a similar question: ‘Are the ducklings ugly?’ 

Ask the children why the other animals might have 

teased and bullied him. Lead them to the notion 

that he was ‘different’. Discuss how wrong it is to 

tease and bully others just because they may look 

different. 

• After reading the story, talk about its main message: 

that everyone is special. Talk about how mean the 

other ducklings were, then discuss some of the 

nice things they could have said instead. Discuss 

how important words are. Create and write down or 

memorise some nice things the children can say to 

each other. 



Drama 

• Ask the children to make ‘ugly’ faces while looking at a 

small mirror. Provide sheets of art paper and drawing 

implements, including large black crayons. Fold the 

paper in half (landscape position) and ask the children 

to sketch their ‘ugly’ face on one side and their normal 

‘beautiful’ face on the other. Encourage the children to 

draw large enough to fill each half and to include all 

details, lines and shapes that they see. Ask the children 

to write or copy a label for each side. (NOTE: Be sensitive 

to children with low self-esteem.) 

• Bring a pair of children’s swimming flippers or thick 

rubber gloves for the children to wear while pretending 

to walk like ducks and swans. 

• Provide a wide brown, grey or white scarf, gathered in 

the middle, for the children to use as a pair of wings 

while pretending to be the ugly duckling or swan. Ask 

the children to hold the ends and move their arms like 

flapping wings. Have two pairs to use in a waddling or 

flying race over a distance. 

My beautiful face 

My ugly face 

• Use a hot-glue gun (or strong glue) to edge plastic 

children’s sunglasses with white, grey or brown feathers 

for use as masks in the dramatic play area. Alternatively, 

use a cardboard template for the children to make their 

own. Refer to page 74. 

• Create simple stick or felt finger puppets for use with 

a class-made puppet theatre. (Cut apart a recycled 

packing box so that it has a front and two sides to 

support it. Cut out a window from the front section and 

tape this to the bottom to help support the theatre. Paint 

and decorate with sequins, glitter and stickers. Attach a 

piece of material on dowelling for a moveable curtain.) 

Music 

• Select children to dramatise or role-play events or 

scenes from the story. 

• Purchase inexpensive feather boas for the children to 

wrap around themselves to experience being covered 

in feathers. If desired, attach them securely to an old 

T-shirt so that the children appear to have feathers 

covering their entire body. 

• Ask the parents to donate old clothes or costumes 

to enable the children to dress up as their favourite 

character from a fairytale. 

• Select and play various types of 

music (slow, fast, sad and happy) 

for the children to glide, swim 

quickly, run, waddle, fly, be sad and 

happy to. 

• Reinforce levels of movement by 

asking the children to waddle low to 

the ground (like a duck or swan) and 

stretch up high with arms spread to 

fly through the air. 

• Listen to various farm animal sounds such as ducks quacking. Visit 

to listen to sounds relating to swans. (Some make very 

little sound at all!) 

• Learn simple fingerplays about ducks such as ‘Five little ducks went out 

one day …’ and ‘Six little ducks that I once knew …’. 

• Listen to excerpts from Swan Lake and ask the children to move to the 

music. 

• Listen to ‘The last grey swan’ at . 

• Visit to 

listen to excerpts from ‘The little swan’ by Ven Olac. 

• Various singing versions relating to ‘The ugly duckling’, such that sung 

by Danny Kaye, and ‘The ugly duckling blues’ by Susan Harrison, are 

available from internet sources. 



Science 

• What other creatures hatch from eggs? Make a list and 

find pictures of them. Include pictures of birds, reptiles 

such as snakes and crocodiles, chickens, fish and 

dinosaurs. 

• Talk about, and list, names (such as ‘duckling’ and 

‘cygnet’) for other baby animals. If possible, find 

pictures and label each with the correct baby animal 

name for a chart to display in the writing corner. 

• Where do I live? Ducks and swans live near small 

bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and wetlands. 

Ask the children where specific animals may live; e.g. 

‘I am a pig. I live in a s .’ Include both domestic 

and wild animals. Extend the activity by asking the 

children to use large wooden construction blocks to 

build different animal habitats. 

• Discuss the seasons, winter and spring, mentioned 

in the story. Fold sheets of paper into halves for each 

child to draw a winter picture on one side and a spring 

picture on the other. Attach a baby cygnet (or ugly 

duckling), cut from coloured paper, to the winter side 

and a white swan to the spring side. If desired, paint the 

two different sides of a paper plate to represent winter 

and spring. 

• Ducks and swans have feathers which cover their body. 

What do other animals have as coverings? Find books 

with pictures of animals with fur, scales, skin, shells, 

hair, spines, armour etc. Cut and glue pictures on card 

to create collages labelled ‘These animals all have 

feathers/fur/shells/scales … ’ etc. 

• Carry out reflection experiments. The ugly duckling was 

very surprised when he saw his reflection in the water, 

and he had changed into a swan. Ask the children to 

study their reflection in the water tray or a large plastic 

container of water. Test to see if the reflection is clearer 

in the sun or shade. Pull faces to make sad, happy, 

ugly and other faces. Make ripples in the water with 

fingers or pencils to see how the reflection changes. 

Carry out similar activities using mirrors but distort the 

images using plastic cling wrap, greaseproof or baking 

paper, or lines drawn across the mirror using fingers 

dipped in Vaseline . 

• Look at pictures of different 

kinds of eggs and compare 

them in relation to size and 

colour. Try to match each to 

the correct animal. 

• If possible, obtain some duck 

feathers and demonstrate, 

by pouring water over them, 

how ducks stay dry. 

Technology and design 

• Hold ‘rubber ducky’ races. Use energy provided by 

blowing to propel two rubber ducks across the water 

tray. The child whose duck reaches the other side first 

is the winner. 

• Talk about different ways ducks and swans move— 

swim, glide, fly. Dramatise each type of movement. 

• Complete various online duck jigsaw 

puzzles at . 

• Colour a picture of the ugly duckling 

at . 

• View, and/or listen to, a version of ‘The ugly duckling’ on the internet. 

• Provide a variety of white materials such as serviettes, pipe-cleaners, 

polystyrene shapes, paper, tissues, feathers, felt etc. for the children to 

plan a design for, and create, a swan. 

• Experiment with a variety of utensils and paint to find an appropriate 

method to print feathers on the body of a duck or swan. Use in conjunction 

with the window scene mentioned in the ‘Visual arts’ section. 

• Refer to the ‘Music’ section for various internet sites relating to singing, 

dancing and listening. 



Visual arts 

• Use grey or brown paint handprints to create an ugly 

duckling (with the thumb forming 

the neck and the spread fingers 

forming the body and feathers). 

Print a head shape by using a 

round cork or similar circular 

shape. When dry, use coloured 

markers to draw the beak, eye and 

wing details. 

• Use a similar technique and white paint to 

make a handprint of a swan. Use extra-white paint and 

a brush to extend the neck into a curve and head. Add a 

beak and eyes using coloured markers when dry. 

• Use this activity to demonstrate how something that 

appears ugly can actually be beautiful. Ask the children 

to use wax crayons to completely colour sections of 

a sheet of art paper or card. Ensure that they press 

heavily and leave no white gaps. When completed, ask 

them to apply a thick layer of black paint over the top. 

Allow to dry. Give each child a craft stick to scratch out 

a drawing or pattern. The resulting artwork will be bright 

and highlighted by the black sections. Discuss how the 

artwork shows that we cannot always judge others by 

what they look like. 

• Provide inexpensive yellow rubber ducks (one for each 

child) and thick paint. Paint the yellow rubber ducks 

grey or brown to create an ‘ugly duckling’ and add 

features such as feathers to make them cygnets. 

• Have each child trace around their foot on grey or brown 

coloured paper and cut it out. Glue small triangular 

pieces torn from tissue paper to the body for feathers. 

Trace around five or six hand shapes in similar or 

contrasting colours and cut out. Glue to the back in 

a fan shape for duck feathers. Attach googly eyes, a 

triangular beak and feet. 

• Look at pictures of duck’s nests. Discuss the 

shape, materials used and how the eggs 

are positioned. Use natural materials such 

as grass, twigs, sticks, mud and feathers to 

make a duck’s nest in a grassy area near the 

classroom. Fill with playdough or clay eggs. 

• Use a template to show a duckling emerging from an 

egg. Refer to page 73. 

• Use a template to cut out two flying swan shapes 

from white felt. Refer to for ideas. Ask the 

children to sew around the edges. Leave a gap to stuff 

the toy with wadding or scrap material. Stuff, then sew 

up the gap. Glue on a button eye and draw wings by 

using a black marker. Hang the toy by using wool to 

make a display of swans flying across the room. 

• Practise folding skills to create a simple swan shape 

from a single sheet of white A4 paper. Fold a large 

square in half from one end to form a triangular body. 

Cut off excess paper. Fold a small square in half to form 

a triangular head. Fold the remaining rectangle in half 

to form a long neck. Glue or staple the edges of each 

piece and then glue or staple all three pieces together. 

Add features as desired. 

fold 

fold 

cut 

cut 

• Provide soft brown clay for the children to make 3-D 

models of the ugly duckling and white clay to mould a 

swan. Display on a mirror to simulate water. If desired, 

the children could create rushes and grass from green 

playdough to stand around the edges. 

• Add ‘snow’ and ‘ice’ by using packing beads or torn or 

crumpled white crepe paper, to a painted winter scene 

from the story. 

• Create simple stick or finger puppets to dramatise the 

story of ‘The ugly duckling’. Ask the children to draw or 

paint the characters onto cardboard, then cut them out. 

Add a craft stick handle and a label. 

• Using blue and green paint one crumpled paper, paint 

a window pane to make it look like a pond. (Add a 

small amount of dishwashing liquid to the paint to 

make removing easier.) Paint or attach duck and swan 

outlines to complete the scene. 


Teacher background information 

A fairytale is a story, usually written for children, that most often deals with fantastic characters such as princesses, princes, 

fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, witches, and other mythical creatures. Often a quest is involved and the tales usually have 

a happy ending. Fairytales were originally used to teach morals or values. Some of the most popular fairytales are ‘Cinderella’, 

‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. 

‘The ugly duckling’ was written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1843. It differs from many fairytales in that it does not have 

fantastical characters. There are several different versions available, all based on Anderson’s original. Teachers should select and 

read to the children the version that they prefer before commencing this theme. A synopsis of the original fairytale is written below. 

Mother Duck sat on her nest, waiting for her eggs to hatch. Soon the eggs cracked, and pretty, 

yellow, fluffy ducklings hatched. However, the last, and largest, egg did not hatch with the rest. Finally, 

the last baby hatched, but it was large and grey. ‘It must be a baby turkey’, Mother Duck thought. ‘I’ll 

take all of my babies to the pond to swim. If the large one can not swim, I’ll know that it is a turkey.’ 

In the water, all the ducklings, including the ugly duckling, swam happily. ‘The ugly duckling must be 

one of my babies after all’, she thought. 

Mother Duck took her babies to the other farm animals to show them off. The other ducks thought 

there were already too many ducks at the farm. Also, they thought that the ugly duckling was very 

ugly. One duck flew at the ugly duckling and bit him on the neck. From that time, the ugly duckling 

was bitten, pushed, laughed at and made fun of by the other ducks and poultry. Even worse, the 

farm girl kicked him and his brothers, sisters and mother were unkind to him. 

Finally, he ran away to a large pond where wild ducks lived. He stayed there until hunters came. 

They killed many of the ducks and frightened others away. The ugly duckling hid in the reeds. Even 

the hunting dogs thought he was so ugly that they left him alone. 

The ugly duckling ran away from the pond to a little cottage. He crept inside through a small 

opening at the bottom of the door. In the cottage lived a tomcat, a woman and a hen. The woman 

let him stay, hoping he would lay eggs. After a few weeks, the ugly duckling had not laid any eggs. 

Also, the cat and hen did not become his friends. The ugly duckling left the cottage. 

He hid in some water nearby and did not go near the other animals. Autumn arrived and the 

weather became cold. One night, as the sun went down, a flock of beautiful birds came out of 

the reeds. The birds were swans. They had long, graceful necks and soft, white feathers. The ugly 

duckling thought he had never seen anything so beautiful. They spread their wings and flew away. 

The ugly duckling wanted to be as lovely as the swans. 

The weather grew colder. The water froze and the ugly duckling lay helpless on a small patch of 

ice. The next morning, a farmer found him and took him home to his wife. In the warm cottage, the 

duckling began to feel better. When the children tried to play with him, he flapped his wings in fright. 

He knocked over the milk pan and spilt milk all over the floor. The woman clapped her hands. He 

flew into the butter barrel and the grain tub. The woman yelled at him, and hit him with the tongs. The 

children laughed and tried to catch him. The ugly duckling flew out the door and hid among the 

bushes. He lay there in the falling snow. Cold and hungry, he stayed there all through the winter. 

Gradually, the weather became warmer and spring arrived. The ugly duckling flapped his strong 

wings and flew into a large garden filled with flowering trees. From the bushes nearby, three beautiful 

swans appeared and entered the water. They looked so lovely gliding across the water that the 

ugly duckling decided to join them. He did not care if they hurt him or not. He swam towards them, 

not caring what they said or did. Then a wonderful thing happened! As he looked into the water, 

he saw his own reflection. No longer was he a grey, ugly duckling. He was a beautiful young swan! 

He no longer cared that he had been sad or teased by other animals. He was finally happy. The 

other swans swam to him and stroked his neck. When the children came to the pond, they saw the 

beautiful new young swan. They threw him bread and cake crumbs. The children said he was the 

most beautiful swan of them all.’ 

• That everyone is special and unique. 

• No-one is the same as any other person. 

• No-one should be mean to anyone else. 

• Everyone should be accepted as they are. 

Concepts to be developed 


Instructions: Count the number of shapes used altogether and the number of each type used. Colour each type of shape with a different colour. This template could be used as motivation for the children to 

make pattern block shape pictures of their own. 

Shape duckling 

There are 

shapes altogether. 

How many of each shape? 


Follow the numbers on the path 

9. 

7. 

10. 

3. 

1. 

8. 

4. 

2. 

6. 

5. 

Instructions: Enlarge to A3 size if desired. The children start at 1 and follow the numbers through the pathway to complete the swan picture. Trace the dotted lines to draw the reeds and water. 


Order the eggs by size 

lark’s 

egg 

Instructions: Enlarge to A3 size. Cut out the eggs and glue them in order from largest to smallest, or smallest to largest. Add patterns to decorate them. 

chicken’s 

egg 

duck’s 

egg 

turkey’s 

egg 

swan’s 

egg 


Picture sequencing 

Instructions: Use the pictures for discussion OR reproduce onto card, colour, cut out and laminate for sequencing. Multiple copies could be reproduced for use as a card game such as ‘Memory’ or ‘Concentration’. 


Hatching egg 

Instructions: Enlarge to A3 size. Colour the pieces, then cut them out. Join all three pieces together by using a split paper fastener. Place the duckling at the back and the two halves of the eggshell at the 

front. Open to reveal the duckling hatching from the egg. 

The ugly 

duckling 


Ugly duckling and swan masks 

74 Early years themes—Fairytales—The ugly duckling www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ® 

Instructions: Photocopy the masks onto card of an appropriate colour, or onto white card for painting. Colour, paint or decorate using appropriate materials. The designs could be used as inspiration for the children 

to create their own masks by using collage materials. Blank masks are readily available from craft stores. Two masks of the same shape could be created and glued back to back so that one side shows the ugly 

duckling and the other the swan.

Instructions: Enlarge and photocopy onto card. Colour, cut out and laminate. Look at and discuss the scenes from the story. Ask the children to sequence the scenes in the correct order. Write sentences to 

accompany each scene and display on a board. NOTE: The scenes are from the version of the story written on page 68. 

Story sequencing 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Fairytales—The ugly duckling 75 

Ha! 

Ha! 

Ha! 

Ha! 

Ha! 

Ha! 

Ha!

Recipes 

Eggs in a nest – 1 (Sweet) 

Ingredients 

• 225 g milk chocolate for cooking 

• 1 packet Cornflakes or Shredded Wheat cereal 

• chocolate or candy mini eggs 

• paper cupcake liners 

Instructions 

• Break the milk chocolate into pieces and melt in a microwave oven or a bowl over simmering water. When completely 

melted, remove from heat and stir well. Add enough cereal to make a brown ‘twiggy’ look. Spoon into paper cupcake liners 

and (once cool enough) use thumb to make a well in the centre. Place two or more mini eggs in the centre and press down 

gently. Leave to set. 

Eggs in a nest – 2 (Savoury) 

Ingredients 

• long wholemeal pasta (such as spaghetti or fettuccine) 

• chopped bacon strips 

• hard-boiled eggs 

• fresh parsley sprigs 

Instructions 

• Boil pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, gently fry bacon strips until browned. Place a quantity of pasta on each child’s plate. Ask 

them to use a plastic fork to arrange the pasta into a nest shape. Top with some bacon strips, parsley sprigs and two or three 

hard-boiled egg slices. 

Meringue swans 

Ingredients 

• white meringue nests (available from supermarkets) for the swan’s body 

• white marshmallows (available from supermarkets) for the swan’s head 

• white icing (for attaching head and features) 

• soft orange sweets or sections of red glacé cherries (for beak) 

• chocolate chips for eyes 

• whipped cream (optional) 

• banana slices (optional) 

Instructions 

• Use icing to attach head, beak and eyes to the body. Fill back of swan with whipped cream and banana slices, if desired. 

Duck salad 

Ingredients 

• lettuce leaves 

• pear halves (fresh or canned) 

• cheese slices 

• sultanas 

Instructions 

• Arrange a lettuce leaf on a paper plate. Place pear half flat side down/rounded side up 

on top of the lettuce. Cut three triangular pieces from the cheese. Place one at the head 

for a beak and two at the bottom for feet. Place two 

sultanas at the top for eyes. (If necessary, 

secure using toothpick halves, peanut 

butter [staying aware of children’s 

allergies] or cream cheese.) 


Recipes 

Duck sandwich 

Ingredients 

• brown, wholemeal or pumpernickel bread slices 

• cream cheese 

• cold meat slices (such as roast beef) 

• cheese 

• green peas (for eyes) 

• capsicum pieces/slivered almonds/parsley 

Instructions 

• Use a large round biscuit cutter to make circles from slices of bread. Each child will need two slices for the body. Spread 

the slices with cream cheese. Place a slice of cold meat on one slice and top with another circle of bread. Insert capsicum, 

almonds or parsley between the slices for feathers. Use a small round biscuit cutter to make a head from another slice of 

bread. Spread one side with cream cheese and place (spread side down) on larger slices. Use extra cream cheese to add 

features—green pea eyes and a small triangle of cheese for the beak. 

Another suggestion: 

• Use white bread and chicken slices to create a swan in a similar fashion. 

Ingredients 

• small resealable bag (one for each child) 

• bowls containing a variety of finger foods 

(popped corn, sultanas or raisins, chopped 

dried apricots, chocolate chips etc.) 

Swan sculpture 

Duck food 

Ingredients 

• red or green apples cut into semicircular slices 

• cream cheese/peanut butter* 

• small, round paper plate covered with a blue serviette 

Instructions 

• Ask the children to arrange the apple slices on the ‘water’ to form a swan 

shape, joining the pieces together with cream cheese or peanut butter. 

Note: Be aware of any children who may have allergies to peanuts. 

Instructions 

• Give each child a resealable bag. Ask them to add some of each type of 

preferred food from the bowls to the bag and seal. Children enjoy it as 

a snack to feed the ‘ducks’ (themselves). Note: Ensure that children do 

not use the food to feed actual ducks as ingredients may be harmful. 

Duck/Swan biscuits 

Ingredients 

• 200 g self-raising flour 

• 100 g caster sugar 

• 100 g butter or margarine 

• 1 egg, beaten 

• grated rind and juice of half a lemon 

• sultanas (for eyes) 

Instructions 

• Mix together flour and sugar. Mix in butter or margarine with fingertips. Add 

lemon rind and juice, and enough beaten egg to make a stiff dough. Roll out 

thinly, and cut into duck or swan shapes using a biscuit cutter. Add a sultana 

eye to each. (If desired, this step can be omitted, with separate eyes added 

using chocolate chips or Smarties and icing or extra melted chocolate when 

cool.) Place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 180 °C, then 

remove to cool. 


Display ideas 

Scene(s) from the story 

• Cover a bulletin board with lengths of blue material or paper. Staple or pin a darker shade to the bottom as the water and a 

lighter shade across the top as the sky. Roll and tape tubes of brown paper for reeds and attach in groups to the sides, top 

and at intervals around the water. Ask the children to make individual ugly ducklings and swans from paper plates and attach 

to the display. (Some ideas for paper plate ducks and swans are shown.) 

Stained glass drawing 

• Look at and discuss pictures of mother swans and cygnets. 

Ask the children to draw a picture of a mother swan and 

cygnet on black paper by using white glue. Allow to dry 

overnight. Use coloured chalks or chalk pastels to fill the 

sections between the glue lines. Spray with hairspray or 

artist’s fixative to prevent smudging. 

Pond window display 

• Using crumpled paper and paint, decorate a large window 

pane to create a pond scene. Draw water plants, and 

duck and swan outlines to complete the scene. (Add a 

small amount of dish washing liquid to the paint to make 

removal easier.) If a number of smaller windows are 

available for use, paint scenes from the story in sequence. 

Ask the children to suggest the main scenes to be drawn. 

Duck/Swan printing 

• Use a duck- and swan-shaped biscuit cutter to cut duck 

and swam ‘stamps’ from thick slices of raw potato. Use 

with white and yellow paint to print patterns on dark or 

contrasting coloured paper. If desired, print an all-over 

pattern of swans and a single duck or vice versa for greater 

impact. 

Life cycle of a duck or swan 

• Have the children construct an egg, a duckling or cygnet 

and an adult duck or swan by using cardboard or paper or 

by moulding with different coloured playdough. Place each 

in the correct position on a large paper plate or circular 

sheet of cardboard and draw an arrow between each. The 

children may wish to write or glue labels (egg, duckling/ 

cygnet, duck/swan). If desired, the children can construct 

individual paper craft units of each part of the life cycle 

(egg, duckling/cygnet, duck/swan) for display on a large 

bulletin board and arranged in a circular format with larger 

labels and arrows. 

Beginning and ending 

• Have the children paint one scene from the beginning of 

the book (Mother Duck with the ugly duckling and other 

ducklings) and one scene from the end of the story (the 

young swan with the adult swans). Join together or display 

side by side. Label the first with the words ‘Once upon a 

time …’ and the second with ‘And they lived happily ever 

after’. 


Literature resources – 1 

Stories 

• The ugly duckling (Flip-up fairytales) by Masumi Furukawa 

• Fairytale news by Colin and Jackie Hawkins 

• The ugly pumpkin by Dave Horowitz 

• The ugly vegetables by Grace Lin 

• Sleeping ugly by Jane Yolen 

• Ugly colours (Uglydolls) by David Horvath 

• Lifecycle of a swan by Monica Hughes 

• Duckling (Watch me grow) by DK Publishing 

• The tale of Sir Dragon: Dealing with bullies for kids (and dragons) by Jean E Pendziwol 

• Tyrone, the horrible by Hans Wilhelm (A dinosaur book about bullying) 

Songs, action rhymes, fingerplays and poems 

Six little ducks 

Six little ducks that I once knew: 

Fat ones, skinny ones, 

Fair ones, too. 

But the one little duck 

With the feather on his back, 

He led the others 

With a quack, quack, quack! 

Quack, quack, quack, 

Quack, quack, quack! 



Down to the river 

They would go: 

Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, 

To and fro. 









Back from the river 

They would come: 


Ho-hum, hum. 









Into the water they would dive, 

Over and under the other five. 









Home from the river they would come: 


Ho-hum hum. 










Literature resources – 2 

Songs, action rhymes, fingerplays and poems 

Five little ducks 

Five little ducks (Hold up five fingers.) 

Went out one day, 

Over the hill and far away. (Move hand over shoulder.) 

Mother Duck said, 

‘Quack, quack, quack, quack!’ (Make a quacking motion with 

fingers of other hand.) 

But only four little ducks came back. (Show four fingers.) 

Four little ducks 


Over the hill and far away. 


‘Quack, quack, quack, quack!’ 

But only three little ducks came back. 

Three little ducks 

Went out one day 




But only two little ducks came back. 

Duckling hokey pokey 

(Tune: ‘Hokey pokey’) 

You put your right wing in, you take your right wing out, 

You put your right wing in and you shake it all about. 

You do the ‘Duckling pokey’ and you flap your wings and shout, 

‘That’s what it’s all about’. 

(Continue with left wing, right leg, left leg, head and whole self.) 

Swan swam over the sea (tongue twister) 

Swan swam over the sea: 

Swim, swan, swim! 

Swan swam back again: 

Well swum, swan! 

Notes 

Two little ducks 





But only one little duck came back. 

One little duck 





But none of the five little ducks came back. 

Sad Mother Duck 



Sad Mother Duck said, 

‘Quack, quack, quack!’ 

And all of the five little ducks came back. 

(Match fingers held up to the number of ducks 

in each verse.)

RIC-20938 Early years Fairytales - Ugly Duckling

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