I LOVE teaching tall tales! They are full of wild exaggerations, larger-than-life characters, and outrageous adventures, making them a perfect fit for upper elementary students. While reading classic tall tales is a great start, I have found that my students truly connect with these stories when they interact with them in creative ways. From acting out interviews to crafting their own tall tale picture books, there are so many ways to bring tall tales to life in your classroom. Here are six of my favorite tall tale activities for big kids! Also, don’t forget to grab the FREE TALL TALES WORD SEARCH PUZZLE! It’s My Gift to you!

1. Tall Tale Character Interview

All kids love stepping into the shoes of legendary characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, or Annie Oakley. Having them take on the role of reporters and come up with interview questions to ask a famous tall tale character is always a hit in my classroom! I also have the kids write out or perform the character’s responses, making sure to use wild exaggerations and the boastful tone that defines tall tales. Whether I assign this as as a written assignment or a dramatic class performance, this activity always helps my students deepen their understanding of character traits and storytelling style.

2. Exaggeration Challenge

Tall tales are all about stretching the truth—the bigger and more ridiculous the exaggeration, the better! This is so highly engaging for my students because, let’s face it, they are all naturally good at stretching the truth! For a warm-up I ask the kids to take an ordinary event (waking up late, missing the bus, doing their homework) and rewrite it as a tall tale-style adventure. A simple trip to the grocery store suddenly becomes a battle against a stampede of runaway shopping carts, and an ordinary thunderstorm turns into a student’s heroic attempt to rope a lightning bolt and ride it home. This challenge helps the kids loosen up and have fun with their writing while learning how exaggeration shapes tall tales.

3. Roll-a-Tall-Tale Story Board

Even for me a blank page can be intimidating. So, why not turn story writing into a game? It makes it much more exciting! For this activity, I give my students a Roll-a-Tall Tale printable. Then, roll a die three times to generate their tall tale’s main character, setting, and problem from a the table on the page. They might end up writing about a girl who can outrun a tornado, a cowboy who lassos falling stars, or a lumberjack whose footsteps shake the earth. The random combinations lead to hilarious, unexpected stories while reinforcing the key elements of tall tales. Kids love this! I think you will love the variety of tales that your students write!

4. Readers’ Theater

Because tall tales are meant to be told out loud, they’re absolutely perfect for a readers’ theater performance! Try choosing a tall tall and assigning your students roles and have them act out a classic story! You can even encourage them to add their own creative touches to the characters and narration. They can exaggerate their voices, add dramatic pauses, and even throw in hand motions to bring the story to life. By having your kids perform the tall tales instead of just reading them, they will also develop fluency, expression, and confidence while making the stories even more fun and memorable! Give it a try!

5. Tall Tale Picture Book

One of the best ways I have found to introduce tall tales is through engaging, over-the-top picture books that bring these legendary characters to life. Reading aloud a book like Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg allows students to hear the rhythm, exaggeration, and humor that make tall tales unique. During the read-aloud, I like to pause to discuss the wildest exaggerations. I encourage my students to predict what outrageous thing might happen next. SometimesI will also have my kiddos illustrate their favorite scene form the tale or even work together to create a class picture book featuring their own larger-than-life hero. I highly recommend incorporating tall tale picture books into your lessons! Big kids still LOVE to be read to.

6. Tall Tale Research Pennants

Ok. I love all of the activities I have mentioned. But, I saved my absolute favorite for last! Because my Students love diving into the outrageous lives of legendary tall tale heroes, I’ve found that research pennants are a great way to showcase what they’ve learned (the kids love them too)! After researching a famous tall tale figure, I have the kids create a pennant displaying key facts, famous adventures, and larger-than-life accomplishments of their chosen character. They can add illustrations and creative lettering to make their pennants visually engaging. Hanging these pennants around the room creates an interactive, student-driven display that reinforces the key traits of tall tales. If you never used research pennants, be sure to check out this post. Research Pennants for Upper Elementary: A Fun and Creative Tool for Student Reports

Bring Tall Tales to Life in Your Classroom!

Every year I find that tall tales are a fantastic way to engage my students in creative storytelling while also building reading and writing skills. These six activities are some of my absolute favorites. They make learning about tall tales exciting, interactive, and memorable. If you’re looking for an easy, structured way to guide students through writing their own tall tales, check out my Tall Tale Writing Pack—it’s packed with graphic organizers, writing prompts, and ready-to-use activities to make teaching tall tales a breeze!

Save These Ideas for Later

If any of these tall tales ideas are ones you would like to try out with your kids this year, let me encourage you to save this post to one of your favorite Pinterest boards. This will make it easy come back to it when the time is right! Wishing you many blessings!