We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has been a preschool staple for decades, and it’s easy to see why. The repetitive structure, the building tension, the onomatopoeic sound words, and the satisfying rush back home at the end make it one of the most engaging picture books for young children. It also lends itself to some of the most fun and physical activities you can do at home.

Here are some simple We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activities for toddlers and preschoolers that bring the story vividly to life.

Making the Most of the Book First

Before moving on to activities, spend time really exploring the book. The sound words in We’re Going on a Bear Hunt — swishy swashy, squelch squerch, splash splosh, stumble trip, hoooo woooo — are some of the most satisfying words in children’s literature and worth savouring.

Read them slowly and dramatically. Encourage your child to join in. Talk about what each terrain feels like — have they ever walked through long grass? Felt mud squelch under their feet? These sensory connections make the story feel personal and real, which deepens engagement with everything that follows.

Go on a Real Bear Hunt

The most obvious and most brilliant We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activity is simply going on one. Head outside — to the garden, the park, the woods, or anywhere with a bit of nature — and recreate the journey from the book.

Find long grass to swish through, a puddle or stream to splash across, somewhere muddy to squelch in, somewhere dark and narrow to feel your way through. Carry a teddy bear to “find” at the end and hide it before you set off so your child discovers it at the destination.

The physical experience of actually doing what the family in the book does is extraordinary for young children. It makes the story three-dimensional and creates a memory that lasts.

Sensory Trays for Each Terrain

Set up a series of small trays or bowls representing the different terrains in the story and let your child explore each one in sequence as you read or retell.

Long wavy grass — shredded green paper or dried grass Deep cold river — blue water with a few pebbles Thick oozy mud — soil mixed with water to make proper mud Big dark forest — brown kinetic sand with sticks and pine cones Swirling snowstorm — white foam shaving cream or fake snow

Walk small figures through each tray as you tell the story, or let your child simply explore each texture freely. This kind of multi-sensory storytelling is deeply engaging for preschoolers and supports both language and sensory development.

Bear Hunt Small World

Set up a small world scene in a tuff tray that takes in all five terrains from the story. Use different materials for each section — green paper for grass, blue cellophane for the river, mud for the oozy section, sticks for the forest, and white cotton wool for the snowstorm.

Add a small family of figures and a bear, and let your child move them through the scene retelling the story. This kind of small world play naturally extends into creative storytelling — children often begin to change the ending or add new characters once they’re comfortable with the original.

Sound Bottles

Fill small bottles or containers with materials that recreate the sounds from the book when shaken or moved. Rice for swishy swashy grass, water for splash splosh, wet sand for squelch squerch, scrunched tissue paper for stumble trip, an empty bottle blown across for hoooo woooo.

Let your child shake each one as you reach that part of the story. The connection between sound and story is brilliant for listening skills and phonological awareness.

Bear Cave Den

Build a den using blankets, sofa cushions, and chairs — this is the bear’s cave. Make it as dark and enclosed as you can. Let your child crawl in to find the bear (a large stuffed teddy works perfectly) and then come rushing back out again.

Den building is wonderful for spatial thinking, and the drama of the cave scene in the book gives the whole thing a narrative purpose that makes it feel genuinely exciting.

Mud Kitchen Bear Hunt Play

If you have access to outdoor space and a mud kitchen — or just a patch of garden and some old pots — set up a We’re Going on a Bear Hunt mud play session. Make the oozy mud, squelch through it, make footprints, follow them.

Mud play is one of the richest sensory experiences for young children and the story gives it a narrative framework that adds an extra layer of engagement.

Bear Hunt Story Map

Give your child a large sheet of paper and help them draw a map of the journey — home, long grass, river, mud, forest, snowstorm, cave, and back again. Mark the route with a dotted line and draw the bear at the end.

Story mapping builds narrative comprehension and gives children a visual overview of how the whole journey fits together. It’s also a lovely piece of artwork to keep.

Making the Sound Words

Write the sound words from the book — swishy swashy, squelch squerch, splash splosh — on large pieces of card. Show them to your child as you reach each part of the story and encourage them to read along or shout out the word.

For children who are beginning to engage with print this is a gentle and joyful introduction to the idea that written words represent spoken sounds.

Tips for Bear Hunt Activities

Embrace the mess. The best We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activities involve mud, water, and outdoor exploration. The mess is the point — it’s where the richest sensory and physical learning happens.

Do it in sequence. Working through the activities in story order — grass, river, mud, forest, snowstorm, cave — builds narrative comprehension and makes the experience feel like a genuine journey rather than a series of unrelated activities.

Come back to the book afterwards. Re-reading the story after doing the activities almost always leads to richer engagement. Children who have physically squelched through mud hear the word squelch squerch completely differently than before.