Kids are endlessly fascinated by zoo animals and thankfully there's no shortage of entertaining activities to support their learning.
This collection of engaging zoo activities for preschoolers includes classic books about animals, adorable crafts, literacy and numeracy-based activities, and plenty of ideas for dramatic play.
1. Read a Fun Book About Animals
This classic zoo book makes an excellent opportunity to teach about the concepts of light and shadow and night and day while developing key color and animal name vocabulary.
Learn more: Kid Activities with Alexa
2. Make an Adorable Lion Craft
This educational activity is a fantastic way to develop core math skills including counting and number recognition.
Learn more: Rainy Day Mum
3. Do Some Animal Yoga
Your young learner will love pretending to be an eagle perched on a tree, an elephant with an arm for a trunk, or a kangaroo hopping with paw hands. There's no better way to develop their gross and fine motor skills!
Learn more: The Educators' Spin on It
4. Favorite Zoo Animal Craft Idea
Kids will get good motor development practice using just the right amount of watercolor to cover the salt in these beautiful zoo creations. Why not let them choose their favorite animals to cut and decorate?
Learn more: Toddler Approved
5. Make a White Paper Plate Monkey
Why not repurpose leftover paper plates into an adorable monkey? You can also add other zoo animals to complete the jungle theme.
Learn more: Rainy Day Mum
6. Play a Game of Barrel of Monkeys
This classic game makes for an excellent opportunity to develop fine motor coordination and visual perception skills while challenging learners to create the longest chain of monkeys they can.
Learn more: Classic Games and Puzzles
7. Have an Animal Fashion Show
Grab some plastic zoo animals and have kids dress them up for their very own fashion show. Besides being a ton of creative fun, this is a great activity for sharpening 1-to-1, fine motor development, and scissor skills while learning to recognize and name colors.
Learn more: Mama Smiles
8. Take a Virtual Field Trip
This virtual zoo field trip includes an educational tour, offering all sorts of interesting facts about animal habitats and animal features while giving kids an up-close look at apes, lions, baby penguins, and more.
Learn more: South Florida PBS
9. Do An Animal Dance
This animal movement game is a great way to build comprehension skills as well as strengthen body and brain connections. Kids can also express their creativity by adding animal sounds and putting their own twist on each of the dances.
Learn More: Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel
10. Preschool Zoo Activity
This educational activity challenges young learners to think critically in order to sort animals into separate bins of farm and zoo animals. You can enhance their learning by asking questions about what the animals eat, where they live, and how they move.
Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect
11. Animal Finger Puppets
This animal puppet printable activity requires only some craft sticks and white construction paper and can be used for singing songs or telling stories. Why not get your young learners to act out their own zoo animal play?
Learn more: Twinkl
12. Make Zoo Animal Masks
This hands-on art center activity takes some time to design but makes for adorable zoo animal creations that will keep kids busy and amused for hours.
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13. Animal Alphabet Flash Cards
This collection of free printable animal cards is a perfect activity for kids to learn about these amazing animals. It also makes a great way to practice their uppercase and lowercase letters and letter sounds.
Learn more: Look We're Learning
15. Animal Alphabet Puzzles
This animal puzzle is a great way to develop visual discrimination skills. It can also be combined with writing tools to practice beginning letter sounds.
Learn more: Activity Mom
16. Animal Number Cards
This collection of animal picture cards makes for an easy, no-prep activity. It will help preschoolers learn number correspondence by connecting the number of objects to a number line.
Learn more: STEAMsational
17. Flap Book by Rod Campbell
This classic interactive flap book has beautiful bright illustrations that bring the vibrant sights and sounds of the zoo into the home. Kids will be delighted to guess the animals hiding in each crate.
18. Zoo Animal Figures Rescue Game
This zoo animal rescue activity is sure to feel like a secret mission. It's a great way for kids to practice imaginative play while developing their creativity and oral language skills.
Learn more: Oh Hey Let's Play
19. Zoo Animal Theme STEM Activity
This zoo-themed STEM activity is a great challenge for children to build durable animal homes for their zoo animal toys.
Learn more: Sarah J Creations
20. Play Zoo Animal Charades
This free printable game of charades is a great way to get kids moving. It's perfect for a game night or as a fun and engaging indoor activity on a rainy day.
Learn more: Buggy and Buddy
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