Are you ready, to embark on a wild and educational journey!? Through our collection of zoo themed preschool activities, you and your students can explore the wild world of animals without even leaving your classroom!
Our collection of engaging and educational activities is designed to captivate your preschoolers while fostering their cognitive, social, and motor skills. If you are ready to learn more, then join us below as we dive into the world of fun-filled AND educational zoo themed activities.
Zoo Theme Preschool Lesson Plans
One of the best parts of teaching preschoolers is planning lessons around fun themes, such as holidays and current seasons. In addition to these classic PreK lesson themes, the zoo is another fun theme that you can create lessons around.
While we all hope that each student has fun learning about the different topics, we all know that no matter how fun the topic is, it also needs to be educational. Therefore, each preschool activity needs to be centered around an important area of learning.
To give you an idea of how to center different areas of learning around a theme, take a look at the five areas of learning that are included in our zoo themed preschool bundle:
- Dear Zoo PreK Read Aloud
- Zoo Themed Exploration Station Activities for PreK
- Zoo Math and Literacy Centers for Preschool
- Circle Time Activities: Zoo Themed
- PreK Zoo STEM Activity
In addition to the activities we have created for you, we have also provided detailed lesson plans to make implementation easy. Armed with these zoo themed lesson plans and a variety of activities, you will be able to enjoy exploring the wild world of the zoo just as much as your students.
Zoo Theme Preschool Read Aloud
This delightful tale not only entertains children but also introduces them to different animals. Itr also teaches them about decision-making and reinforces the concept of responsible pet ownership. In addition, thanks to the vibrant illustrations and engaging lift-the-flap surprises, kids will eagerly anticipate what animal will come next.
Since this book has everything you need for creating a read aloud, we did just that! In this zoo themed read aloud for preschool you will find everything you need to help your students explore this book in depth.
- Detailed lesson plan for every activity
- Comprehension questions
- Whole group response to text activities
- Response to text worksheets
- Writing pages
- Vocabulary cards and worksheets
- Quiz
- Retelling puppets
Zoo craft template
This delightful tale not only entertains children but also introduces them to different animals, teaches them about decision-making, and reinforces the concept of responsible pet ownership. In addition, thanks to the vibrant illustrations and engaging lift-the-flap surprises, kids will eagerly anticipate what animal will come next.
This book has everything you need for creating a read aloud, so we did just that! In this zoo themed read aloud for preschool, you have everything you need to help your students explore this book in depth.
- Detailed lesson plan for every activity
- Comprehension questions
- Whole group response to text activities
- Response to text worksheets
- Writing pages
- Vocabulary cards and worksheets
- Quiz
- Retelling puppets
- Zoo craft template
Zoo Exploration Stations for PreK
Exploration stations play a crucial role in preschool education, providing young children with a valuable and interactive learning environment. These stations allow young learners to engage in hands-on activities and explore a variety of materials and concepts.
In addition, exploration stations encourage children to use their senses, develop problem-solving skills, and engage the imagination. Moreover, exploration stations provide a safe space for children to experiment, make discoveries, and learn through hands-on experiences.
As a teacher, these stations provide a fantastic opportunity to connect students with a theme in several different ways. Take a look at the zoo activity stations we created for your students.
- Explore: view Zoo learning cards and create a Zoo habitat scene cut and paste
- Dot: use dot stamps to dot each zoo animal on the card
- Match: match the animal to the animal’s skin
- Play: fill the zoo with animals by moving pieces around the game board
- Build: use pattern blocks to build the zoo animal picture on the card
- Create: follow the directions to make the zoo animal craft
- Find: check off each animal as you find them in the sensory bin
- Sort: place picture cards on the correct mat
- Write or Draw: write about your favorite animal or draw a picture of your favorite animal
Along with providing all of the content for each station, we also provided you with the necessary materials to set up your stations. Therefore, making it even easier for you to plan, prep, and teach.
- 9 printable exploration stations
- Text to read aloud to the students
- Tent signs for each station
- Editable work-boards
- Checklists that can be edited for each child
- Labels
- Letter banner template
Zoo Theme Math and Literacy Centers
Math and literacy centers are other types of learning centers that provide opportunities for interactive learning. These dedicated centers provide a hands-on and engaging environment where children can explore mathematical concepts and literacy skills through play and exploration. These are essential in preschool education.
At math centers, children get to manipulate objects, count, sort, and compare. These types of activities help preschoolers develop a deep understanding of numbers, shapes, patterns, and measurement.
Similarly, literacy centers provide a rich environment for children to immerse themselves in language and literacy experiences. Through books, puzzles, letter recognition activities, and storytelling props, children develop early literacy skills such as phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.
As with other key preschool learning activities, math and literacy centers can easily be connected to a learning theme. Below are the fun math and literacy activities we developed around zoos.
Zoo Themed Math Centers
- More or Less: Comparing numbers
- Count and Clip: Count how many
- Graphing: Spin and graph
- How Tall?: Animal heights
- Patterns: Animal pattern cards of Zoo animals
- Habitat Sort: Homes of animals
- Size: Ordering by size
- Find and Match: Identify Shapes
Zoo Themed Literacy Centers
- Rhyme Time: Rhymes about zoo animals
- Syllable Sort: Animal names by syllable
- Identify Letters: Feed the animals
- Animal Paths: Concepts of print (left to right)
- Magnetic Letters: Beginning sounds
- Letter Match: Upper and lowercase
- On My Own Craft: In the zoo
- Writing Own Name: Peacock craft
- Free Write: Writing center with zoo prompts
- Fine Motor: 2D and 3D Shapes
Zoo Theme Preschool Science Activities
Science is a core subject area that almost every preschooler loves because it focuses on real-world topics. This is why STEM activities are often a favorite in preschool classrooms.
PreK STEM activities engage kids in real-world situations. Therefore, helping them connect to their classroom learning with the world around them.
Moreover, STEM goes beyond learning about a topic in science and provides students with opportunities for hands-on learning. This is one reason we have made STEM activities a focus of our PreK learning activities!
Just like the other areas of learning above, this particular STEM activity invites students to explore the world of zoos. In this activity, each student is asked to build a home for their zoo animal.
Whether this is your first time exploring STEM with your preschooler children, or common practice in your classroom, we have provided you with a detailed lesson plan to support the process.
In addition, this fun activity uses everyday materials you already have in your classroom.
Zoo Theme Preschool Song and Circle Time
The preschool day wouldn’t be complete without circle time! This special time brings children together in a communal space, creating a sense of belonging and fostering a strong classroom community.
Circle time helps kids cultivate important social skills such as sharing, empathy, and cooperation. Moreover, it provides the teacher additional time each day to review important concepts and skills.
Since the engaging and interactive nature of circle time naturally captures children’s attention, it is the perfect time to set up the learning theme each day. Hence, the reason we developed a special Zoo themed circle time resource packet – complete with a zoo theme song!
Take a peek at all of the zoo theme circle time activities we created for you to use:
Take a peek at all of the zoo theme circle time activities we created for you to use:
- 2 reread/review the text activities
- 3 responding to text activities
- Song lyrics with a familiar tune + 2 corresponding activities
- Pocket chart poem + 2 corresponding activities
- 3 game-style whole class activities
- 5 corresponding independent worksheets
- 1 emergent reader
As with all of our resources, this comes complete with a teacher overview and detailed lesson plans. You also have the choice of using a print or projectable text.
How to Use Zoo Themed Lessons in PreK
There is no right or wrong way to use zoo theme lessons in your preschool classroom. The most important thing is to use these lessons in a way that fits best with your teaching style.
While all of these activities pair well and can be used for an entire unit about zoos, you can also choose to use them individually. In addition, you can choose a couple that you would like to use together in addition to the zoo activities you have all created.
Whether you use all of these resources or pair a couple with what you already teach, we know that your students will love exploring their learning through these preschool zoo theme activities!
