Tacky the Penguin Activities & Craft for Kindergarten Free File Too
- By Deedee Wills
- Updated on January 14
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Tacky the Penguin Activities and Lesson Ideas with a free file
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester is such a fun book for your penguin unit. This little odd bird will have you laughing out loud every. single. time. The story provides an engaging way to explore character traits, predictions, inferring, and so much more. And yes… there’s a cute little penguin craft to go along with all your Tacky penguin activity ideas! It’s truly one of those favorite books that kids remember forever.
You’ll also find a set of free penguins printable worksheets toward the end of this blog post. The winter season is the perfect time to break out your penguin books, and I just know the Tacky series is already on your list! Plus, if you’re gathering kindergarten resources for the season, this one fits beautifully into your winter lineup.
Tacky the Penguin Comprehension Activities
Tacky the Penguin was actually one of the very first reading comprehension activities we created when we launched Engaging Readers back in 2013. Engaging Readers lesson plans give kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students an interactive, meaningful way to dive into comprehension. Brain research tells us that the same area of the brain that processes reading comprehension lights up during listening comprehension which is why these lessons work SO beautifully. The teacher does the decoding… but the students do all the thinking!
Reading Comprehension: Making Predictions with Tacky the Penguin
We start the week by working on making predictions. Kindergarten teachers know this well students in the primary grades are MORE than capable of making their meaning known through pictures! Their illustrations are full of personality, and they always surprise us with how much they understand.
For this lesson, our writing prompt asked students to predict what would happen next after the hunters arrived. Their ideas were imaginative, brave, and wonderfully Tacky such a fun peek into their critical thinking!
I cannot understate how important partner work is. Students need so many opportunities to process language and talk through their thinking. As much as we try, there’s just no way for every child to share all of their thoughts directly with us every single time.
That’s why turning to a partner is not only purposeful… it’s essential. These little conversations give students a safe, natural way to build their oral language skills, compare ideas, and practice explaining their thinking. And honestly… the magic that happens during partner talk? It’s the good stuff.
During this time of day, we are not concerned with the letter–sound association (transcription) students are doing. We already have plenty of instructional time dedicated to encoding and decoding words. In fact, we teach those skills explicitly every single day.
But during our read-aloud time? Our focus shifts. Here, we’re building students’ listening comprehension (the launching ground for strong reading comprehension), vocabulary development, and oral language. Our writing prompts give students a chance to make their meaning known through their illustrations and it works beautifully.
Tacky the Penguin is a perfect addition to these lessons because it BEGS to be discussed! Kids have so much to say, and their little insights make the whole experience magical.
Tacky the Penguin Story Sequencing Activity
As I said, Tacky the Penguin BEGS to be discussed. With each book, students work together to put the story cards in order, and oh my goodness… the conversations they have along the way are priceless. This group retelling activity is such a great support for their oral language development. You can almost see their confidence grow as they explain, justify, and rethink the order of events together!
Tacky the Penguin Story Sequencing Activity
As I said, Tacky the Penguin BEGS to be discussed. With each book, students work together to put the story cards in order, chatting and giggling their way through the details. This group retelling activity is such a wonderful support for their oral language development and the teamwork it inspires is just the sweetest thing to watch!
Tacky the Penguin Craft Activity
Each student makes their own penguin craft, and oh my goodness… it is an easy-prep gem! This simple project gives students a great way to practice eye-hand coordination and scissor skills as they create their very own Tacky. And let’s be honest Tacky looks pretty dapper in his colorful shirt, don’t you think? The kids adore this one!
Remember, the oral retelling of a story is such an important step, but it’s one that often gets skipped. If you want your students to become truly proficient at retelling, they need plenty of practice… lots of it! My class loved this part so much they would fuss if we cut it short. It quickly became one of their favorite moments of the day.
Tacky the Penguin Story Retelling Cards for Your Interactive Whiteboard
We included this perfect companion activity, and talk about low prep! You can pop the retelling cards right onto your interactive whiteboard, which keeps everyone engaged and gives you a big, clear workspace for modeling. It’s a simple PowerPoint file… EASY!
Tacky the Penguin Venn Diagram
Students use a graphic organizer to compare Tacky with his penguin companions, and the conversations that come out of this activity are just the sweetest. They notice everything… the silly, the brave, the odd, and the wonderful and it gives them such a fun way to think about character traits. It’s a simple tool that leads to big, meaningful discussions!
After our whole-group comparison, students complete their own Venn diagram recording sheet. It’s the perfect way for them to show their thinking independently, and the results are always adorable and so insightful!
Inferring with Tacky the Penguin
For this lesson, the writing prompt invited students to infer whether Tacky’s companions would treat him differently. And wow… the thoughtful ideas they come up with! Little learners naturally step into the characters’ feelings, and their responses always spark the sweetest conversations about kindness, acceptance, and celebrating what makes each of us unique.
You can see the classroom display was a sight to behold!
You can find these reading comprehension lessons, response pages, and retelling activities by clicking:
Tacky the Penguin Read Aloud Video
By the time we get to the end of the week, the students really enjoy hearing another person’s voice (and honestly… I enjoy the breather!). But truly, listening to someone else model fluency and intonation is powerful. It gives students another example of what expressive reading sounds like and they soak it right up!
Tacky the Penguin: Vocabulary Activity
Students also spend great time looking closely at a few of the vocabulary words from the fiction book. It’s such a simple routine, but wow… their understanding grows so quickly when we slow down and really explore the meaning of new words together. Plus, Tacky gives us some great vocabulary to chat about!
Tacky the Penguin Sentence Study Activity
Examining and correcting sentences is also part of our book activities. This quick little routine gives students a chance to practice grammar, mechanics, and clear writing… all while staying connected to our beloved Tacky. It’s amazing how much they grow with these tiny daily moments!
You can find these reading comprehension lessons, response pages, and retelling activities by clicking:
TACKY THE PENGUIN ACTIVITIES AND LESSON PLANS
You can grab this lesson plan template that walks you through each activity we used during our Tacky the Penguin week. It’s fully editable, which means you can tweak, adjust, and make it work perfectly for your classroom. Hooray for flexibility and teacher sanity!
Just click on the image below to download the zipped file straight from my Google Drive.
Want to see more weekly lesson plans like this one?
If you’re craving even more hands-on activities and classroom inspiration you can actually use, click below and keep those ideas flowing. Your future lesson planning self will thank you!
Want more Winter Read Aloud Activities?
I have linked a few below:
- Fun Sneezy the Snowman Activities (Free Snowman Math File Too)
- Easy The Mitten Activities FREE (Psst… The Whole WEEK Printable Files!)
- Snowmen at Night Activities and Lesson Ideas (Free Activity TOO!)
- 7 Fun Snowy Day Activities (Free File) and Lesson Plans for Kindergarten & First Grade
- Martin Luther King, Jr Kindergarten Lesson Plans, Free File, and Activities
- 15 Fun Polar Bear Activities for Kindergarten and First Grade
- Engaging Penguin Activities for Kids with Free Penguin Worksheets
Have a great week and be sure to scroll to the bottom for your free penguin math activity!
Do you love Tacky as much as we do?
You can find another Tacky the Penguin set of activities in the following blog post:
Free math center activity with a penguin theme!
Simply add your name to the box below and this free resource will be sent to your email inbox.
Deedee Wills
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