Are you looking for fun learning games for kids to play? Try Mr. Pig! This game was passed down from previous teachers during my teaching days in Japan. It’s the most fun you and your child will have together all week! You can use this song and game together to learn the names for foods, colours, letters, phonics, animals, or pretty much any vocabulary.
How to make your own Mr. Pig:
To start, make a template of a pig-shaped face. Trace around your template onto some very stiff cardboard. And repeat on a piece of craft foam.
It’s time now to add some character to that Mr. Pig of yours! Use a permanent maker to draw on some facial features. I also used some extra craft foam to give the pig some extra dimension. 
I cut off the bottom of a leg of an old pair of pjs to use as the stomach. I used the hem at the bottom to run some twine through. Then I used a toggle , (also repurposed from an old coat) to hold the twine together and make an easy to open and close opening. 
Next smear some glue around the mouth opening of your pig and glue down the top of your digestive tract. 
I left this to dry under a couple of boxes of paper. When it was done, I then smeared glue all over the craft foam and glued the heavy cardboard to the back of Mr. Pig’s head. Once again, I left these to dry fully under the paper boxes. 
Once your glue has dried your pig is almost done! I quickly ran a piece of string through the bottom hem of the trouser leg and added a toggle piece I’d salvaged from an old coat. This squeeze toggle will keep things from falling through Mr. Pig, as well as making it fun to empty Mr. Pig when he’s full.
As you can see, this pig is a vast improvement over the first one I made a few years ago (We just held a cloth bag to the back of his mouth). 
Now it’s time for the fun! Gather your young ones around in a circle and sing!
The Mr. Pig song:
(Sing to the tune of Frere Jacque) Are you hungry? Are you hungry? (All the children will sing this while you hold Mr. Pig)
Yes, I am! Yes, I am! (The person singing this is holding Mr. Pig)
What would you like to eat, Mr. Pig? What would you like to eat, Mr. Pig? (The children singing)
I’d like a carrot, please. (each round, the item will change)
Here you are, Mr. Pig (Now one of the children will pick up the requested food from the plate and ‘feed’ Mr. Pig.)
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
And the game continues. If the children are able, you may pass Mr. Pig around and they can take turns being Mr. Pig, which they love to do. It’s important for your children to have fun with their family, and there’s no reason why learning has to be dull. You’re never too old to have fun with your children or be silly!
Here we are having a little simple biology lesson about digestion: What goes in, must come out!
This fun game can be adapted to learning all sorts of things. You could use flashcards for questions and feed Mr. Pig upon getting a correct answer: one team can use fruit and another veggies and see who has the most items at the end of the game. You could teach various foods or colours in a second language. What other fun learning games can you think to teach kids with Mr. Pig?
If you’re looking for more toddler and preschool learning games, see our learning about letters, learning about shapes, and learning about colours pages.
