Baby Animal Movements

One of our most popular activities (ours and yours) last summer was this Ocean Animal Movements post. We were ready for a new Spring themed version, so we tried it out this morning and loved it!

Our simple baby animal movement game is a fun way to teach kids about animals, learn some new vocabulary, and get kids moving! 

Materials Needed:

- Set of 10 baby animal movement cards- DOWNLOAD THEM HERE

- painters tape

- variety of sized balls (optional)

Directions:

1. Print off cards (download the cards here) on pastel/spring colored cardstock.

2. Tape cards to floor using painters tape.

Ways to play:

- Start by walking around (or running) to each card with your child. When you get to a card, point to the picture, say the name of the baby animal and the animal's mommy, read the action statement, and then demonstrate how your child can do the action stated. Have them copy you and then move to the next card.

- Say the name of an animal, tell child to run to the card, touch it, read the action, and do it! (repeat for all animals)

- Say the action that the animal does and have child try and run and stand on the correct card, say the animal name, and then do the action (repeat for all animals)

(sleeping little a kitten)

- Say the alphabet letter that the animal's name starts with/ends with. Have child run to find correct animal, stand on the card, and do the correct action (repeat for all animals)

(climbing a tree like a cub)

- Show your child an action, have them try and run to the correct animal card, say the animal name, and repeat the action.

(grazing in the grass like a calf- he thought it was funny to lick the carpet! ick!)

- Incorporate balls. Name the animal, alphabet letter, or action and have your child bounce the ball over to and then throw it at the correct card.

- For older kids, work on reading the action sentences. Tell them to find a specific animal and when they get there, read the sentence below the picture while acting it out!

- For younger kids, incorporate color recognition. Since each card is a different color, tell them to go to a specific color card. When they get to the correct card, ask which animal they see on that particular color card. Or to make it easier you just can say, "Go find the pink cub..." and then do the action together. You can also talk about different actions that cubs might do and then practice acting them out.

- Name the mother animal and then have the child try and find the baby animal card. For example, "Find the animal who's mommy is a horse." Once they find the correct card, act out the action stated on the card.

- Our last version of the game included taping the cards up at eye level and giving my son a bean bag. I would ask a question and then he would throw the bean bag at the correct baby animal target. We worked on beginning letters/end letters/letter names when I would say, "Throw your bean bag at an animal that ends with the letter n..." or "Throw the bean bag at an animal that starts with the /c/ sound."

I think he loved this version the best because he is very interested in baseball right now. If it had been a bowling game he would've loved it even better... but I'm all bowled out right now!

If you try this, let me know what other ways you adapt it so we can try them too!!

DOWNLOAD ANIMAL MOVEMENT CARDS HERE

Check out some of our other favorite animal activities below...

Zoo animal activities

Paper Bag Animal Crafts

Farm Animal Sound Matching Game

Lid Animals