Teachers, librarians, and homeschooling families know the power of pairing activities with books. Completing activities with others helps us build memories together. We enjoy the books more when we do something related to a book. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder provide ample opportunity to help young readers understand the books and history through games, crafts, and food inspired by the books. I've compiled a list of 38 activities related to Little House in the Big Woods.

I had long lists of ideas for potential activities. Unfortunately, I couldn't include every single activity I brainstormed for Little House in the Big Woods. (Some might have not been of interest to readers, plus authors and publishers work within word counts.) But I did include 75 activities (crafts, activities, and recipes) with complete instructions in The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion. 

Below is a fairly comprehensive list of activities, games, and food that can be used with Little House in the Big Woods. 

These recipes and food items based on Little House in the Big Woods are included with complete instructions in The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion. Links are provided when instructions are also included on this site.

These recipes and food items are additional ideas to "live like Laura" based on Little House in the Big Woods. These ideas were not included in my book. You might find many of them in the The Little House Cookbook, a book I highly recommend for those seeking authentic pioneer recipes--and the stories behind them.

hulled corn

cabbage

Hubbard squash 

dried apple pie

molasses candy

hasty pudding

pumpkin pie

dried berry pie

boiled pork

pickles

cheese

salt-rising bread

Swedish crackers

baked beans with salt pork and molasses

venison

fish

pork

bear

sausage

In case you can't tell, I was a teacher once upon a time. I love pairing activities with books. Literature-related activities help readers of all ages to get excited about the books they read. (Have you ever been part of a book club with related food? It's not just for kids!) When it comes to the Little House books, the books paired with activities excites kids while understanding and remembering the history even better. 

I used paired activities with books as a classroom teacher, as a parent, and now as a writer. (I may have had a lot of fun creating a Little House birthday party for my 6-year-old long before I began this blog or had an idea to write a book...or a few books.) 

In addition to the 75 activities included in The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion, I also included an activity in each of the books in The Truth About animal series I wrote. I created comprehensive teacher guides for those books (and have written them for other authors, too). My upcoming book Quirky Critter Devotions: 52 Wild Wonders for Kids includes 52 animal-related activities as well as journal prompts following each of the fact and faith-filled devotions.

Would you like to see more activities for the other Little House books? Subscribe to the blog to be certain you don't miss a blog post.