I LOVE teaching fables! Teaching fables always leads to so many special learning moments with my kiddos! They manage to pack so much wisdom into just a few short paragraphs. Between the talking animals, clever trickery, and memorable morals, fables always capture each of my students’ attention while also delivering powerful lessons—both academic and personal.

If you’re looking to dive into this timeless genre with your upper elementary kids, I’ve pulled together a list of 7 of my favorite fables activities that are engaging, easy to implement, and perfect for deepening comprehension and creativity. Whether you’re introducing the concept of morals, comparing different versions of The Tortoise and the Hare, or helping your students write their own fables, these activities will definitely make your fables unit one to remember! Give these fun fable activities a try!

1. Use Doodle Pages to Spark Discussion

One thing I love to do at the beginning of my fables unit is to invite students to draw what they understood. After reading a short fable, I have them illustrate the key parts: the characters, setting, and problem/solution. Doodle pages make a great formative assessment tool and ahave always been especially effective for my visual learners. You can also try having students add speech bubbles or thought clouds to reflect a character’s inner dialogue.

2. Teach Morals Through Role Play

Another fun idea is to have your students act out a fable in small groups—but here’s the twist: don’t tell them the moral in advance! Once the performance is over, ask the class to reflect on what lesson the characters (and audience) learned. There are several full ways to do this. One way is to use a reader’s theater! The kids love this and always go all-in with their acting!! Make sure to grab your free Tortoise and the Hare reader’s theater below! After the kids act out a fable, I also like to tie in the skill of inferencing as we try to infer what the characters in the fable were thinking and feeling. If you’d like to check out some more ideas on inferencing, make sure to check out my post on teaching inferencing in upper elementary! Acting out a fable always seems to spark awesome discussions and helps kids internalize the moral on a deeper level. It also gives all your performers a chance to shine!

3. Dive into the Life of Aesop

So many of my students over the years have been surprised to learn that Aesop was a real person! Because of this, I always love teaching a mini-lesson exploring who he was and how his stories have been passed down for generations. A quick research project or a short biographical passage can also go a long way in building historical context. (In my fables packet, I include a reading passage and web organizer all about Aesop if you want something ready-to-go.)

4. Analyze Animal Symbolism

When you start teaching the fables genre, your kids will probably wonder why so many fables feature foxes, lions, mice, and crabs? Animals in fables are symbols, often representing human traits like cleverness, pride, or stubbornness. I love to help my kids understand this by listing common fable animals on the board and then brainstorming with them the qualities each one might represent. After you do this, it’s a great idea to circle back to stories you already read and watch the lightbulbs go off in each of your kids’ brains!

5. Compare Two Fables

Try pairing two fables with similar morals—or contrasting characters—and have students compare and contrast them! My students LOVE this and it is awesome for practicing theme, tone, and structure. For example, The Ant and the Grasshopper vs. The Tortoise and the Hare both touch on hard work and patience but in very different ways. One other thing I love to do is to have my kids compare one of Aesop’s classic fables to a modern day fable! Venn diagrams, short answer responses, or even a group debate are also great to help students process their ideas.

6. Invite Students to Write Their Own Fable

Once your kiddos understand the basic elements of fables—personified animals, a problem, and a moral—encourage them to write their own. Don’t overcomplicate it! Try giving them a simple fable planner. This will help them map out their character traits, setting, conflict, and lesson learned. Writing original fables is a great way to tap into your kids’ creativity! It helps to reinforce narrative structure, and also to build confidence.

7. Use Comics to Retell or Create

Some of my students always seemed to shine brightest when they were able to visualize visualize their thinking. Comic-style retellings are a fun way to check comprehension or encourage students to write with voice, dialogue, and emotion.

You can even let students turn their original fable into a comic—complete with captions and speech bubbles. It’s such a huge win for reluctant writers!

I love teaching fables so much because they are more than just short stories—they’re vehicles for critical thinking and character education Plus, they always spark amazing and meaningful conversations among my students. Whether you’re introducing the genre for the first time or looking to deepen your fables unit, give some of these ideas a try! They always helped make my fables lessons fun and memorable and I know they will for you as well!

If you’re looking for a ready-to-go packet packed with fable reading passages, comprehension activities, writing guides, and more, I’ve got you covered.

My Fables Reading and Writing Pack includes 20 classic fables with comprehension pages, doodle sheets, comic retellings, and all the tools you need to guide your students in writing their very own amazing fables. It’s one of those resources you’ll come back to year after year.

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