Zoo Animals – 3.4 – Add A Little

Movement Moment

Zoo Animal Parade

Prep:

• Clear a large area for running and moving

Time to Play:

• Gather your children together and explain that you are going to pretend to be different zoo animals.
• Say, “Let’s all pretend to be kangaroos. Can you jump like a kangaroo?”
• Lead by example and encourage your children to copy you or find their own ways to pretend to be these animals.
• Animal actions ideas:
  • Jump like a kangaroo
  • Stomp like an elephant
  • Swing like a monkey
  • Waddle like a penguin
  • Take big steps like a giraffe
  • Take tiny steps like a mouse
  • Tip-toe like a flamingo
  • Fly like a parrot
  • Go slow like a sloth
  • Race like a cheetah
  • Slither like a fish
  • Swim like a dolphin
  • Crawl like a bear
  • Pounce like a leopard
  • Gallop like a zebra
  • Walk like a crab

Art Activity

Binoculars

Supplies:

• Empty toilet paper rolls (2 per child)
• Tape (or hot glue)
• Markers or crayons
• Optional: Stickers
• Optional: Yarn or other string

Prep:

• Tape two toilet paper rolls together side by side to form binoculars.
• Optional: Attach a string to both sides of the binoculars so the children can hang them around their neck.

Time to Create:

• Show your children the binoculars and how to look through them to search for animals.
• Invite your children to decorate their binoculars using markers, crayons, and stickers. Remind them to press lightly so as not to squish the rolls (a tricky skill to practice for some 3 year olds).
• Have fun pretending to go on an going on an adventure to spot animals.

Five-Minute Focus

Let’s Learn the ABCs

Letters of the Unit

• GHI

Letter Activity

• Supplies: 1-3 pipe cleaners / chenille stems per child

Time to Learn:

• Hand each child 1-3 pipe cleaners or chenille stems.
• Encourage them to bend the pipe cleaners into the shape of each letter.

• For other letter teaching techniques, visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/teaching-the-abcs-at-circle-time/

Bonus!

Animal Skin Matching Game Free Printable

I created this Zoo Animal Skin Matching Game. It is available for free download along with suggestions for how to use them here: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/zoo-animal-skin-matching-game/