The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Cover of the book "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Paul Galdone

I have been working with Wolf Trap performing artists for about three years now.  They have taught me how to use music, dance and drama so effectively with my children!  I just want to share a little about our retellings of the classic story The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone.  We read the book several times.  We also use this great song by Greg & Steve called "Three Billy Goats Gruff."  It's so bluesy and catchy; I just love it!  It really helps pre-k and kindergarten kids to get into the character voices.  The tables in my classroom are very sturdy, so we have one child pretend to be the troll underneath the table, and then I assist the "billy goats" (children) across the "bridge" (table).  This really helps them to be part of the story, and they all beg to be the billy goats.  Needless to say, we do this several times so that everyone in the class gets a turn.  I also place the song and paper puppets in Listening Center so that children can independently hear and act out the story during center time.  Here is what my props look like:
Three Billy Goats Props


I put the storytelling props from Childcraft in my Library Center.  Since they're plush toys, they're nearly indestructible.  I've had this set for at least 10 years.  My kindergarten and pre-k kids are simply adorable when they play cooperatively with each other to retell the story using these props.  The nice thing about this set is that it's only $14!

Plush "Three Billy Goats Gruff" props

Here are a couple of my pre-k students' pictures and retellings of the story.  My students barely spoke any English at the start of the school year.
Three Billy Goat Sample Retellings