If You Give a Moose a Muffin Activities

Inside: 8 fun and educational activities to do after reading the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff is fun for kids of all ages. The story is a sequence of events that fall in place like a row of dominoes set up in a circle. It ends where it begins, with a moose and a muffin. The silliness in between will draw giggles and help kids follow cause and effect in stories.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin Activities

There are lots of fun ways to extend this story for children. I’m going to share with you three of my own activities, plus five more from some talented teachers and homeschoolers around the web.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin Playdough Mats

To start, I have a brand new free printable for you that I think preschoolers will enjoy. These playdough mats go along with bits of the story and playfully slip in some letter recognition work.

First, there’s one for the letter M:

Then, riffing off the blackberry picking and blackberry jam in the story, there’s a B is for Blackberries mat:

Finally, this free set also includes an S is for Sweater mat. (In the book, the moose needs a missing button sewn back onto his sweater.)

To grab your own set of playdough mats for If You Give a Moose a Muffin, scroll to the end of this post to the Download section.

Story Sequencing Hats for If You Give a Moose a Muffin

Next, your students may also love the story sequencing hats I sell that go along with this book. There are several differentiated versions, so you can use them with students from preschool through first grade.

Teachers love these hats because their students are so excited about them, but also because children go home and retell the story to their families. So it fosters a strong school-home connection and helps children practice oral language.

Story Inspired Felt Board Activities

Way back when I started blogging, I put together a set of clip art to use with a felt board. Children can use these to retell and further explore the story.

There’s a picture for each element of the story. Just cut out each picture, and if you like, color the black and white images. Then, you can glue them to felt to go on a felt board, laminate them to use in a storytelling basket, or just leave them as-is.

Here are some activity suggestions:

• Use the clipart pieces to retell the story on a felt board.
• Set up an invitation to play: put the pieces in a small basket, provide a yard of felt or a mat, and a copy of the book.
• First, set up dominoes to topple over in a circle. Next, help your child lay out all the clipart pieces in order in a circle.
• For kids who are old enough to consider “what if?” Ask what would happen if you took away one piece. Lay all the pieces out in order, and have the child write, draw, or tell alternate sequences of events.

More Activities and Crafts for If you Give a Moose a Muffin

Lastly, here are five more activities and crafts to do after reading the book.

Clockwise from the top left:

Muffin Matching Games I love the simple ideas for muffin top and bottom matching games. They go quite nicely with the book!

If You Give a Moose a Muffin Math Activity Practice color sorting, counting, and fine motor skills with an engaging hands-on activity.

Moose & Muffin Letter Recognition Activity Your students can feed the moose muffins with letters on them in this adorable printable activity.

Moose Art Project Even toddlers and young preschoolers can participate in making an adorable moose artwork.

Moose Muffin Story Circles Elementary students can work together to create one of these story circles to reflect the sequence and structure of the book.