How to Teach Animals to Preschoolers

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

If you're wondering how you can best teach your preschoolers about animals, you've come to the right place. We've compiled an extensive list of different ideas and games you can use to introduce animals to your kiddos. There are options here for every learning style, so feel free to pick and choose your favorites or even try them all. To get started, scroll on down!

1

Sing songs about animals.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Try singing some of the classic songs like “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” “It’s Bitsy Spider,” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Look up new songs online that you can sing with your kids to make learning about different animals a playful activity. [1]
    • You could even try making up a new song with your preschoolers. Even if it’s silly, they’ll love it!
    2. Advertisement
2

Use animal flash cards.

PDF download Download Article
  1. You can buy packs of animal flash cards from a local department store. You can also print out your own or try drawing your own on notecards. Hold up the image of the animal and ask your preschoolers to identify it. If they get it right, give them lots of love and praise. If they get it wrong, gently correct them and keep up positive energy. [2]
3

Read children’s books about animals.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Choose books with lots of pictures of different animals. Read the story out loud and point to the images in the book. Ask the children to identify the animals in the book and gently correct them if they guess incorrectly.
    2. Advertisement
4

Make animal art projects.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Draw different animal shapes on construction paper and cut them out so your kids can make a fun collage. Have them paint different animals on drawing paper or construction paper with markers, crayons, or non-toxic paint. The art doesn’t have to be perfect, just keep it fun and relaxed and talk about the different animals while your kids work on their art projects. [3]
    • There are a ton of different art projects you could use. Have your kids trace their hands to make the outline for a turkey. Turn toilet paper tubes into adorable penguins by painting them with black and white paint.
    • Try looking up different animal-themed art projects you can try out with your kids.
5

Give your kids different animals to color.

PDF download Download Article
  1. What kid doesn’t like to color? Break out some animal-themed coloring books or print out a bunch of blank animal templates. Let the children use their imaginations and use whatever colors they want to fill in the images. While they color, use the time to talk to them about the animals they’re working on. [4]
    • For instance, if they’re coloring a lion, you could talk about where lions live, what their mane is for, and what kind of food they eat.
    2. Advertisement
6

Put on a puppet show.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Print or cut out some simple animal designs and let your children color or paint them. Then, glue the designs to the ends of large craft sticks. Let your children act out different scenarios with their stick puppets and talk to them about the animals so they’re learning while they have some fun. [5]
7

Try a game of blindfold guess.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Gather some plastic or stuffed animal toys and put a blindfold over your children’s eyes, or have them close their eyes. Give them 1 animal and let them feel it out and try to guess what it is. After they guess, let them check to see if they guessed correctly! [6]
    2. Advertisement
8

Hold animal races.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Talk about a few different animals with your children so they know what they are. Line them up outside or somewhere with lots of room for them to run. Call out an animal and have them run a race pretending to be that animal to make it fun and challenging. [7]
    • For instance, you could say, “Run like an elephant!” and have them run like they have a trunk, or “Run like a wolf” and have them run on all fours.
9

Take a trip to the zoo.

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you can take a field trip, check out the local zoo or aquarium. Show your kids lots of different animals and tell them a little bit about each one. Seeing the animals up close can make learning about them fun and exciting. [8]
    2. Advertisement
10

Watch an animal show on TV.

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you can’t go to a zoo, a TV may be the next best thing. Put on an educational children’s show about animals or an animal documentary and let your kids watch. Talk to them about the different animals that they’re seeing to help reinforce the things they learn on the program. [9]
11

Visit websites that teach animals.

PDF download Download Article
  1. There are a bunch of different educational sites you can use such as ZooBorns, National Geographic Kids, Walking with Dinosaurs, and Kids Planet. Visit the sites with your kids and look around at the different animals to learn all kinds of cool and interesting facts that your kids will love. [10]
    2. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • Some zoos have sections where your kids can touch the animals. But if there isn’t one, you can look for a petting zoo in your area that you can visit with your children.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Don’t let your kids spend time on the internet by themselves so they aren’t exposed to any inappropriate content.
        Thanks
        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Teach a Child to Read
      How to
      Introduce Numbers to Kindergartners
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/animals-games.htm
      2. ↑ https://upliftingfamilies.com/10-fun-ways-teach-children-identify-animals/
      3. ↑ https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/fun-toddler-and-preschool-animal-activities/
      4. ↑ https://upliftingfamilies.com/10-fun-ways-teach-children-identify-animals/
      5. ↑ https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/how-to-make-easy-forest-animal-puppets/
      6. ↑ https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/animals-games.htm
      7. ↑ https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/animals-games.htm
      8. ↑ https://upliftingfamilies.com/10-fun-ways-teach-children-identify-animals/
      9. ↑ https://upliftingfamilies.com/10-fun-ways-teach-children-identify-animals/
      1. ↑ https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/learning-toolkit-blog/8-top-websites-where-kids-can-learn-about-animals.html

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 42,134 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Kendon

        Aug 15, 2022

        "Helped me with my study to complete an assignment. Thank you very much."
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement