Jack and the Beanstalk is a classic adventure fairy tale that most children love to read. It involves magic beans, a scary giant, and a castle in the sky. This story has been retold many times, but it was originally written in England in the 1700s.
We want to make this version of Jack and the Beanstalk as accessible as possible for young readers. So, we have tried our best to simplify and shorten where we can.
We have included a general vocabulary list and verb list below to help you teach your child using this story. As well, we have given you some ideas on activities and lessons that you can do by incorporating Jack and the Beanstalk into your classroom.
If you have more questions, please feel free to message us by clicking on the link below or by commenting on this story.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack lives with his mom.
They are poor and hungry.
They do not have any money for food.
One day, Jack’s mom asks him to go to the market.
She wants him to sell their cow.
They can use the money to buy food.
Jack goes to the market.
He finds a man who wants to buy his cow.
He will give Jack one gold coin or five magic beans for the cow.
Jack thinks and thinks.
One gold coin is enough to buy food for seven days.
But, what could five magic beans do?
Jack chooses the five magic beans and walks home.
His mom is very angry at Jack.
“What can we do with magic beans?” she says.
His mom grabs the beans from Jack and throws them out the window.
Jack goes to bed that night hungry and sad.
Jack wakes up at eight o’clock and looks out his window.
Outside there is a giant beanstalk.
Jack wants to explore.
He climbs up, up, up.
Finally, he reaches the top, up above the clouds.
Jack can see a castle.
Jack wants to see what is inside.
The castle is huge.
He looks like a mouse beside its big doors.
Jack finds a small crack and squeezes inside.
The room is warm and filled with treasure.
Jack sees piles of gold coins everywhere.
He also sees a golden goose.
The goose lays golden eggs.
With the goose, he could be rich.
Jack hears a crash.
A giant opens the huge door and walks in.
Jack hides with the golden goose.
The giant sits down to eat.
Jack is very scared.
He does not want the giant to find him.
But then, the golden goose lays a golden egg.
The golden egg falls and hits the ground with a clank.
The giant stands up and yells,
“Fee Fi Fo Fum!”
The giant smells the air.
“I can smell you little boy, and I will find you.”
The giant searches through the room.
Jack grabs the golden goose and runs for the beanstalk.
Jack climbs down, down, down.
The giant chases after him.
Jack reaches the ground and sees an ax.
The giant climbs down, down, down.
Jack begins to cut down the beanstalk.
The giant sees Jack cut the beanstalk.
He begins to climb back up, up, up the beanstalk.
Jack cuts the beanstalk, chop, chop, chop, three times.
The ax cuts through the beanstalk.
The beanstalk falls. Crash!
The giant returns to his castle.
Jack grabs the golden goose and returns home.
Every day, the goose lays two golden eggs for Jack to sell.
Jack and his mom now have lots of money.
They live happily ever after.
Jack and the Beanstalk Vocabulary
Poor – to have very little or no money
Rich – to have lots of money
Market – a place to buy things
Magic – a supernatural force
Bean – a green vegetable that grows pods
Gold – a color or a precious metal
Coin – a circular metal piece used to buy things
Hungry – to feel like you want to eat food
Window – a hole in the wall covered in glass to see out of
Beanstalk – the main trunk of a bean plant
Cloud – fluffy white forms in the sky
Castle – an ancient defensive structure
Huge – really big
Mouse – a small mammal that often lives near people
Crack – a small gap or break in something
Treasure – a collection of valuable items
Goose – a common type of bird
A Giant – a mythological creature that looks like a really big person
Verbs List
To Be (is, am, are)
He is a poor boy.
To Live
She lives in China.
To Have
I have a pencil in my backpack.
To Ask
She asks me to go get her some water.
To Go
I often go to the store after school.
To Sell
They sell food there.
To Use
She uses her hands to make shadows on the wall.
To Buy
He buys all of his toys there.
To Find
She finds his toy behind the bed.
To Want
They want a new pet.
To Say
He says the weirdest things.
Can
Can you fly?
To Think
Joe thinks that she is pretty.
To Do
Do you like to do karate?
To Choose
He chooses to stay with our team.
To Walk
He walks down the hall slowly.
To Grab
Jane grabs the phone from me.
To Throw
Tim throws a ball to his dad.
To Wake Up
I wake up at 9 AM.
To Reach
After 5 minutes, he reaches the top of the stairs.
To Explore
I explore different malls every week.
To Begin
He begins the test at 10 AM.
To Climb
They climb to the top of the mountain.
To Get
She gets an A on her report.
To Look Like
He looks like his dad.
To Open
Please open the letter.
To Return
He returns home after work every day.
To Hide
She hides in her room when strangers come over.
To Sit
She sits at the end of the table.
To Lay
I lay beside my friend beside the pool.
To Hit
She hits the ball very hard.
To Fall
He falls down often.
To Stand Up
Please stand up when the teacher calls your name.
To Yell
He yells at his friends when he is angry.
To Smell
I smell yummy food in the kitchen.
To Search
She searches through her bag for her book.
To Look For
Can you look for my dog?
To Run
He runs 3 km every day.
To Make
She makes the tastiest pies.
To Turn
You should turn left at the next light.
To Chase
My dog chases squirrels in the park.
To Cut
She cuts open the bag with scissors
To Hang
Please hang your towel on the rack.
To Pull
She pulls open the cabinet.
What Can You Study With This Story?
Stories are a great opportunity to teach children English. You can review vocabulary and introduce them to new concepts in a fun and welcoming way. Here are three things you could practice with your child by reading our version of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Action Verbs
Jack and the Beanstalk is a story that is full of action. Help teach and review action verbs by having your child act out this story.
Numbers
Numbers play a special role in this fairy tale. From the five magic beans to the two golden eggs, this story can help you reinforce basic number vocabulary in English.
Take a look at our numbers lesson if you want to learn more about teaching your child this vocabulary.
Direction Words
Directions are a critical and difficult to understand concept for children. Jack and the Beanstalk has a lot of mentions of “up” and “down” so make sure to reinforce these concepts while you are reading.
Activities
An activity can help you engage your child in our stories. They also provide another opportunity to teach your child valuable English lessons. As well, maybe this is just a chance to use the language in a natural setting.
Grow Your Own Bean Plant
Beans are surprisingly easy to grow. They won’t be giant beans like Jack’s, but they should be big enough for your child to learn about plants.
Decorate “Golden” Eggs
Eggs are usually decorated around Easter with fun colorful paints. But, you can decorate eggs year-round if you want to. Encourage your child to make their egg a real treasure that isn’t just gold, but encrusted with all kinds of colorful jewels.
Find Treasure
There are few things more fun than a treasure hunt. Hide a treasure somewhere nearby and write up clues for your child to follow. Be as creative as you want, and make sure this fun afternoon activity will force them to use their English skills.
Learn More with Fairy Tales for Kids
Fairy tales are time-proven stories that can capture the imaginations of children everywhere. We want to give you access to fairy tales that are retold in a way that is easy for beginners to read.
Click here to explore more fairy tales.
We hope to put out a new one every week. If you have any requests, feel free to add them in the comments.
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