Over the Moon Fun: Exploring 'Hey, Diddle Diddle'

Duration: 2 Weeks

Materials Needed:

• Printed text of 'Hey, Diddle Diddle'
• Large paper or whiteboard
• Markers or crayons
• Construction paper (various colors)
• Scissors (child-safe)
• Glue stick
• Craft sticks or wooden spoons
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Yarn (optional)
• Paper plates
• Sequencing cards (pictures depicting scenes from the rhyme - can be hand-drawn or printed)
• Notebook or paper for drawing/writing
• Pencil

Week 1: Meet the Rhyme!

Day 1: Introduction & Recitation

• Read 'Hey, Diddle Diddle' aloud with enthusiasm several times.
• Encourage the student to listen for funny parts.
• Point to the words as you read.
• Start learning to recite it together. Chant it slowly, then faster.

Day 2: Characters & Setting

• Reread the rhyme. Ask: 'Who is in this rhyme?' (cat, cow, dog, dish, spoon) 'What unusual things happen?'
• Draw simple pictures of each character together on large paper. Label them.
• Talk about where this silly scene might be happening (maybe outside at night?).

Day 3: Rhythm & Clap

• Recite the rhyme again, clapping the rhythm.
• Emphasize the beat. Try stomping or tapping along.
• Ask: 'Does the rhyme sound bouncy?'

Day 4: Rhyming Words

• Read the rhyme, pausing before the rhyming words. Ask the student to predict the word.
• Highlight or circle the rhyming pairs: diddle/fiddle, moon/spoon.
• Play a simple game: 'I say diddle, you say...' (fiddle). 'I say moon, you say...' (spoon).

Day 5: Character Focus - Cat & Fiddle

• Review the characters.
• Focus on the cat playing the fiddle. Ask: 'Can cats really play fiddles?'
• Draw a picture of the cat playing the fiddle. Try making a simple fiddle shape from construction paper.

Week 2: Rhyme Time Fun!

Day 6: Sequencing the Silliness

• Use prepared picture cards (or draw simple scenes: cat with fiddle, cow jumping, dog laughing, dish running with spoon).
• Mix them up. Read the rhyme and have the student put the pictures in the correct order.
• Glue the pictures in order onto a strip of paper.

Day 7: Character Focus - Cow & Moon

• Talk about the cow jumping over the moon. Ask: 'Is that possible? Why is it silly?'
• Make a simple moon craft: Decorate a paper plate as the moon. Cut out a cow shape from construction paper and glue it 'jumping' over the plate.

Day 8: Character Focus - Dog, Dish & Spoon

• Discuss the laughing dog and the runaway dish and spoon.
• Make spoon puppets: Glue googly eyes and yarn hair (optional) onto wooden spoons to represent the dish and spoon characters. Use them to act out that part of the rhyme.
• Optionally, make a simple dog mask from a paper plate.

Day 9: Creative Retelling & Writing

• Use the puppets, crafts, and sequence strip to retell the rhyme. Encourage the student to use silly voices.
• Try some simple writing: Write the word 'cat' or 'moon'. Dictate a simple sentence about the rhyme (e.g., 'The cow jumped.') and have the student copy it or write known letters.

Day 10: Rhyme Performance & Review

• Put everything together! Gather the crafts and puppets.
• Have a 'performance' where the student recites the rhyme, perhaps acting it out with the props.
• Review the characters, rhyming words, and favourite parts of the lesson. Celebrate their learning!