Do your preschoolers love animals, specifically pets? My kiddos love pets and as a matter of fact, love to play pet shop, vet, groomer, you name it!
If you are looking for fun pet activities for preschoolers, you have landed on the right page! I have spent some time finding the best, most educational and fun pet activities!
Why Are Pet-Themed Activities Important for Preschoolers?
Pet themed activities are not only fun for preschoolers to do, but important as well.
First of all, it is important to learn how to treat animals. Some preschoolers haven’t been around animals very much yet, so showing them the ropes is important.
Pet themed activities stimulate preschoolers’ imagination which is great for independent and pretend play.
Pet themed activities are engaging and fun for preschoolers. Kids learn best when having fun, and pet themed activities are great to have in your pocket when you need a fun activity.
30 Fun Pet Activities For Preschoolers
Let me tell you, I have had so much fun finding these pet activities for preschoolers. I have found tons of ideas to do with my own littles!
Keep scrolling for 30 fun pet activities for preschoolers!
Pet Themed Centers Activities For Preschoolers
Center activities are great activities for preschoolers because they encourage imaginative and independent play. Your preschoolers will likely have hours of fun (if you let them) doing these pet themed center activities.
Pretend Play – Veterinarian
Playing veterinarian is a great way to build social skills while allowing their imagination to run somewhat unhindered. Having one child play vet gives them the ability to help others while allowing others to get creative with what is wrong with their “pets.”
Adopt A Pretend Pet
Pet adoption is another great social skill-building activity that also allows a fun yet guided imagination-based activity. Seeing how quickly and creatively they can “build” a pet for adoption is a fantastic way to get a look at who that child is on the inside.
Groomers
Playing pet groomers can lead to a lot of fun interactions. It allows the child to think through a process while also letting them work on task focus and instruction following.
Build Animal Cages With Blocks
Use blocks to build animal cages of different shapes. Give instructions to build an oval animal cage, circle, square, etc. There is a fantastic level of imagination and interpretation that you can see from the simple task of building a “cage.”
Pet Themed Learning Activities For Preschoolers
Themed learning activities are a great way to get your preschoolers engaged and willing to participate. Most kiddos love animals, so these activities will be well received by your kiddos.
Pet Bingo
Pet bingo gives you the ability to help your little ones learn about different animals. While you can start with basic animal recognition, you can then move on to more advanced levels, such as animals with scales, shells, pointed ears, etc. It provides a fantastic way to have your children work on detail recognition instead of just simple object recognition.
Another fun idea would be to name each animal on the bingo sheet and then call out the names instead. That will make the children cross-reference different pieces of information to help them win.
Weiner Dog Name Puzzles
This activity helps kids with basic spelling. It gives them a fun foundation to learn letter recognition, name recognition, and basic reading skills while using their names and the names of their classmates to help them understand what they are seeing.
Pet Count and Clip Cards
If you are looking for a new way to help work on counting skills, this is a perfect solution. Using these great pet-related cards gives your little ones a great focal point to help them stay focused on the task. It also gives you a reusable resource to help your little ones build their counting skills!
Feed the Dog-Counting Activity
While using math sheets can build basic counting and math skills, it can also be very boring and tedious. Giving them a fun activity like this will make it more of a game, and learning will become coincidental.
Put the Spots on the Puppy
Another fun-filled activity to promote learning is this put-on-the-spots sheet. Giving the children some basic items to use as spots will provide a reusable learning resource that is sure to grab and keep their attention.
Pet Themed Scissor Skills
Cutting with scissors may not seem like it is an important skill to master, but it does have some great benefits. Having your children practice cutting is a great way to build fine motor skills and help teach them that every action they take is irreversible. Add in some fun pet-themed activity sheets and it is a sure way to keep them working!
Pet Themed Craft Activities For Preschoolers
Little ones love to craft and whether you are doing a simple coloring page or making a pet rock, they will have a blast!
Pet Rocks
Every child needs an outlet for their imagination, and a pet rock is the perfect one. Pet rocks are amazing because they provide so little foundation that the imagination has almost infinite directions that they can go.
Give them some basic supplies to design their pet and you’ll have anything from a cat to a monster! You may consider drawing an outline of an animal for your preschoolers and letting them paint it after.
Paper Plate Animals
Paper plates are one of the most versatile resources you can have in your craft box. They range from simple supply trays to the actual base of your craft. For this one, all you need is some colors of some sort and a pair of googly eyes to make a cute paper plate animal.
Pet Fish Activity
This fun little activity gives your little ones another great outlet for their imagination and creative side. Having them create their own fish is a fantastic way to have your little ones use what they know to make a unique, one-of-a-kind fish friend to show everyone!
Pet Coloring Pages
Coloring animals is a wonderful way for your children to give their creations a unique personality. They can stay in the realm of reality and make your run-of-the-mill cat, or give it some fun antenna from outer space! Once they are done with the coloring part, make sure they name it and come up with a fun little backstory to give their “pet” some character!
Puppy Headband
We all made headbands when we were little, and wore them with pride like crowns. The blog above gives instructions on how to create your own puppy headband, but why not use it as a template for other animals?
Just cut out some different shapes for the ears and nose/mouth and you have a perfect cat!
Pet Themed Snack Ideas For Preschoolers
What preschooler doesn’t love food, especially snacks! These pet themed snacks are so adorable and fun to make.
I know these snacks will be a hit with your little ones!
Paw Print Snack
Children rarely need any encouragement to eat their snacks, but that doesn’t mean snack time has to be boring. These cute little paw print rice crispy treats are a perfect snack for your little animal lovers!
Dog Bone Breadsticks
I’m pretty sure we’ve all caught out little ones taking a bite of the dog’s bone. So why not let them have their fun with this cute dog bone breadstick snack? It will be a sure hit with your little ones, which will hopefully prevent them from stealing the dog’s treat.
Puppy Chow
While this treat does have other names, its resemblance to puppy chow does make it a fitting name. This simple, four-ingredient treat will be a sure hit with any chocolate and peanut butter lovers in the house!
Nutter Butter Puppy Pops
Nutter Butter cookies were and still are one of my favorites. This cute twist on the popular cookie will be a sure hit with everyone in the house, and your little ones will have a blast helping make them!
Kitty Cat Bagels
While we try to teach our little ones to not play with their food, sometimes we just can’t help it. Making these fun little cat bagels is a fun activity for the little ones to help with, and gives them a tasty reward after they are finished!
Pet Themed Sensory Activities For Preschoolers
Kiddos love doing sensory activities in general because they keep their hands and minds busy. Your littles will absolutely love these pet themed sensory activities!
Pet Playdough Mat
Using playdough on these reference sheets is the perfect way to work on your child’s fine motor skills. Having them shape the playdough to match the picture in front of them will challenge their hands, minds, and creativity!
Wash the Dog
Just about every single child loves to play in the water. This fun activity gives them the opportunity to do so, and also opens their imagination to let them build a scenario for how their “pets” got dirty.
Hide the Animals
Having your children play with this fun sensory activity is a great way to keep them busy and develop their motor skills. The scooping and poring of the rice is a simple yet entrancing activity that almost every toddler will enjoy. If you don’t have any small animals or toys to bury, just having them fill the muffin tin will work just as well!
Pet Themed Playdough Tray
Playdough is one of the most amazing sensory activity tools to use. Its versatility allows for a wide range of activities and will keep children happy for hours. Combine it with some other animal-themed cookie cutters or toys, and you have a perfect activity for your little animal lover.
Bird Seed Sensory Bin
Bird seed is another perfect sensory bin filler to keep your little ones learning! Throw in some birds, nests, and wood or plastic eggs to create an amazing sensory bin for any avian lovers in your house.
Pet Themed Activities To Get Preschoolers Moving
If your preschoolers need to get their wiggles out, these pet themed activities will surely do the trick!
Get the Wiggles Out- Pet Themed
Playing with an activity or get-the-wiggles-out block/spinner is always a fun, laughter-filled time with your little ones. It is a great way to get them moving and playing while also giving them a controlled outlet for any pent-up energy that may be bothering them.
Pet Themed Yoga
Yoga has its benefits for everyone, and these animal-themed yoga cards are no different. The only difference is the poses listed are ones to keep your animal lovers interested and laughing as they act like a variety of animals!
Animal Track Jump
Playing outdoors is always a fun time, especially when sidewalk chalk is involved. This fun jumping activity will be a sure hit with your little ones, and it also will give you the potential to change and adjust the activity to fit your needs as necessary!
Pet Themed Ring Toss
A game of ring toss is a fun time, regardless of who is playing. It is also a very customizable game. Instead of prizes, tape a picture of an animal to the pins/bottles and have your children act out whatever animal their ring lands on for a laughter-filled activity.
Pet themed activities are not only fun for little ones but also important. I love that there are so many options for fun pet themed activities for preschoolers.
What are your favorite pet themed activities for preschoolers? Let me know in the comments below!
