Preschool Mad Libs: A Fun Storytelling Activity for Kids + FREE Mad Lib Printable!
Remember Mad Libs? I loved using them in my second-grade classroom, and I wanted to bring that same silly storytelling fun into our preschool routine! With a few tweaks, this activity became a fun way to practice descriptive language, explore new words, and create a story together. And of course, I made a free printable so you can try it too!
What Can Kids Learn From Mad Libs?
When I was in the classroom, I loved using Mad Libs as a way to practice parts of speech. But that was with 2nd graders! Preschoolers aren’t typically ready for adjectives and verbs and all that, but I didn’t want my son missing out on the joys of building a hilarious story together, or all of the things he can learn from a Mad Lib activity. Here’s what we focused on in this story:
- Describing words: I spent a majority of the week leading up to this activity teaching him about describing words. (I know that’s essentially what an adjective is, but this was a more preschool friendly way to discuss it) I would bring out items and ask him to tell me about them. We talked about foods being spicy, soft, or colorful. We described different toys as furry, fast, or small. We talked about it, wrote down the words we used, and reflected on how all of them were describing words!
- Action Words: Yes, I know these are called verbs, I’m trying to be conversational okay! 😅 I would ask him for things he can do. He gave examples like jump, run, eat, etc. Then I told him how all of these are action words!
- The rest of the blanks are stand-alone items. Numbers, a type of food, something stinky. I tried to make it so they could be really creative without having to rely purely on parts of speech!
Our Preschool Mad Lib Activity:
I originally did this activity with my son on a large piece of butcher paper. You can do the same, or if you’re looking for less writing, and less giant-paper, the free printable version below is for you! Here’s how I took on this activity:
- Preteach: As I talked about above, I used the days leading up to this activity to talk about describing words and action words. That way, when we got to those sections, he felt more confident giving an answer!
- Describe the activity: I told my son I was going to ask him for some words, and I was going to use those words to create a story for us to read together. That kept him interested and participating!
- Accept any answer that works: Sometimes my son would give me a whole sentence when I asked for a particular word. As long as it included the word I needed, I wrote down the word!
- Fill in the blanks, and have fun: After you’ve worked through filling in all the blanks, you and your little one get to enjoy the hilarious and kooky story you created!
Free Preschool Mad Lib Printable:
Ready to give it a try?
Grab your free preschool Mad Lib printable below, and get ready for some giggles with the stories your little ones will create! It’s a great way to sneak learning into little moments, and change up your every day.
Final Thoughts
Mad Libs are such a fun way to sneak language learning into your preschool routine, without making it feel like a lesson! Grab your free printable, get creative with your little learner, and prepare for some seriously silly stories.
❤️ Until next time,
