Five Little Ducks Circle Time Activity

Inside: This Five Little Ducks circle time activity is perfect for back-to-school or during the spring theme! Children love holding their own ducks during the song.

You know when you find that favorite activity, year after year? It’s the song Five Little Ducks for my two and three year olds!

I love including it in our circle times during back-to-school, during our farm theme, and also during our spring themes. It’s loved so much that we often even sing it for our mamas during our Mother’s Day celebration!

And there is some playful learning taking place as we count to five and back down to zero.

Because it’s so loved, we created printable props that make the song come alive. The children get to hold some, too!  Watch the video:

I love using visuals during circle time. I have found they are a great way to involve the children, especially our youngest students.

When they have something to look at, and – even better – something to hold, they are more interested.

And so, I’ve been a big believer in using props for many years now, seeing much more successful circle times.

Watch: My Secret for a Successful Circle Time

Five Little Ducks Circle Time Activity

Supplies

• Five Little Ducks printable from our Song and Rhymes Packet
• White Cardstock (Heavy Paper)
• Laminator
• Laminating Sheets
• Jumbo Craft Sticks
• Self-Adhesive Magnetic Pieces or Velcro, (depending on the board you will be using)

Preparation

Print the ducks and on cardstock (heavy paper). You will want a mother duck and her five babies as your set, and also one yellow duck for each child.

I like to then laminate each item for durability.

To use a magnetic board:

Place a magnetic piece on the back of each piece that the teacher will use.

Here is the portable magnetic board you see in my classroom.

To use a felt board:

Place a velcro piece on the back of each piece that the teacher will use. (Be mindful of the hook and loop – you will want to use what sticks to your felt board.)

To create the yellow duck props for fingerplay:

• Make enough yellow duck props so each child has one.
• Attach a jumbo craft stick to each laminated duck. Use wide packing tape to secure the duck to the craft stick.

A Staple in My Circle Time Drawer

I have my favorite circle time activities in a drawer that I can use at any time.

If what I planned just isn’t working out (yes, it happens!) or I need an extra activity during a transition, I can open my circle time drawer and pull a favorite out and know the children will want to get involved.

These favorites are:

• Five Little Ducks
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm
• The Wheels on the Bus

This is why I have included them in our Song and Rhyme Packet!

I make sure they are all prepped and placed in individual Zip-Lock bags so all I need to do is pull out the bag, pass out and/or display the props, and we are good to go.

Felt Board or Magnetic Board?

I actually have two sets of Five Little Ducks. One is for our felt board and the other is for our magnetic board. We now have a big portable magnetic white board, but I’ve also used a magnetic cookie sheet (as seen in some of the photos).

So what you decide on really depends on what you already have.

The Activity

• Place the main set (mama and her five baby ducks) on whatever type of board you are using
• Hand a duck prop to each child.

You can sing the words to the song or you can play a song and sing with it.

If you want to sing it:

Five little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only one little duck came back.

One little duck went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But this time no little ducks came back.

Mother Duck went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother Duck called, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
This time five little ducks came back!

If you want to use a song:

We like to use this song on Spotify: Five Little Ducks by Toddler Tunes.

The children can hold their ducks as you sing, making them feel more connected.

When the song is finished, collect the children’s props.

Counting Activity

During centers time I placed the ducks in a container next to a magnetic board, and placed the numbers one through five on the board.

The children placed a duck next to each number as we counted.

More Circle Time Activities

• Here is the Beehive
• Flower Matching
• Match the Hearts

Make sure to check out my circle time playlist!