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Nursery rhymes · Listening and matching

Hey Diddle Diddle matching activity for preschool

Match each character to its action, then move the felt pieces as you say the rhyme.

Try the activity
Hey Diddle Diddle felt pieces on a black board, including the cat, cow, dog, dish, and spoon.View this felt set on Etsy Opens in a new tab

Who does what in the rhyme?

Prep · About 5 minutes   Play · About 10 minutes

Gather · Felt pieces or drawings of the cat with a fiddle, the cow and moon, the dog, and the dish and spoon.

  1. Meet the characters. Set out the pieces. Name each one together, then point to it as you say the rhyme.
  2. Listen for the action. Ask who jumps over the moon, who laughs, and who runs away with the spoon. Have your child pick and move the matching piece.
  3. Retell it together. Say the rhyme again and pause for your child to move each character when its line comes up.

Try saying · “Who jumped over the moon? Pick that piece and show me the jump.”

Make it easier · Start with the cat and cow. Add the other pieces after your child matches those two.

Keep it going · Let your child give a clue about a character while you move the piece.

Get the materials

Storytime Club · Annual library

Print it for your next storytime

Find the Hey Diddle Diddle worksheet PDF in the annual library. Choose a page to print after the rhyme and invite your child to point to a character they remember.

$97 a year gives you the full Storytime Club printable library. If the Etsy printables on your list are included in the Club and cost more than $97 together, you save with the annual pass.

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