Table Time
Skill Check
This activity uses a child’s spatial skills, object recognition, and visual discrimination abilities.
Growing My Skills
Print out template
Cut out animals
Match to coordinating animal shadow on the worksheet.
Floortime Play
Activity: What Zoo Animal Are You?
Materials:
Face paint or animal masks
Animal ears
Medium size box (for cage) or cushions (for a “stage”)
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to spend time together in a playful, imaginative way. There should be limited structure and a lot of pretending.
Growing My Skills
Use available materials to assist the child in creating an animal character
Use a photo reference if needed
Paint ears or whiskers on your child (ask them if it feels okay first!), put on animal ears, or wear a mask
Cut a hole out of a medium-size box and have the child sit in the “cage,” as if they were in the zoo. Ask them what does a tiger (hippo, etc) act like?
Extend the play by “feeding” your animal within their cage
Relaxation Time
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to slow down and engage quiet time and listening skills during read-aloud activity.
Growing My Skills
Can your child point out the theme of the book or label a favorite part?
Is your child familiar with the character within this video; if not ask if he/she can see his favorite character doing these activities.
Creative Time
Activity: Circus Animal Cage Project
Materials:
Shoebox
String or ribbon
Paint or markers
Plastic animals
Colored felt or nature pictures (to add to background)
Glue
The Pa-Paw Patch Homeplay Idea Zoo Animal Cage
Skill Check
Let your child’s imagination soar with his favorite zoo animal. Build a “zoo home” that your child’s favorite animal would love. Does it have food and a lot of trees, or match it fur? There is no wrong answer!
Growing My Skills
Gather your materials
Poke holes into the shoeboxes.
Using coloring materials, let your kids decorate the boxes however they’d like
Attach and tie strings
Add animals
Movement Time
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to use your body to walk like animals at the zoo!
Growing My Skills
Reference visual for animal walk directions
Your child may benefit from watching you do it first
Have fast races or see “who can go the slowest” to really work on motor discrimination and motor planning
Show your child how many trials they need to complete by transferring toys from one end of the hallway to the other, or transfer puzzle pieces to the puzzle board on the other side of the room
Be silly and creative – making up walks for all your favorite animals
Mealtime
Activity: Eat Like Your Favorite Animal
Materials:
Ingredients: 1/4 – 1 serving of your animal’s favorite food
For example: monkey = banana, parrots= sunflower seeds, giraffe = leafy greens, Penguin = fish (you can use gummy fish if needed), Rhino = fruit & berries. Rabbit = carrots. Guinnea pig = leafy greens
Skill Check
The goal of this activity is to try new or nonpreferred foods in a playful manner like animals in a zoo!
Growing My Skills
Wash and prepare foods your child wishes to consume
Have an “all done” bowl or garbage can nearby for easy disposal
Spend time eating and acting like the animal. This doesn’t have to be a sit-down activity
You can get messy, you can sniff, lick, bite, chew, and spit out the food!
Anything to pretend to play like an animal and try new foods
Language Time
Activity: Pretend Trip to the Zoo
Materials:
Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire Youtube Read Aloud
The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom “Let’s Go to the Zoo” Youtube Read Aloud
Skill Check
The goal of this week is to provide an opportunity for your child to increase use, expand, and improve understanding of language through play.
Expanding Skills
Read Up, Up, Up with your child (Depending on your child’s language skills, you can read the words from the page or use your own words to provide a simple description of the pages)
Describe how the people and city look different the higher up the balloon goes in the book
Allow for your child to also make comments on the pictures
Create your own city with legos, working together to build the towers
This activity allows for language skill targets like turn-taking, requesting, following directions
Work together to build one tower or build your own and use describing language to talk about yours to model language for your child
