All About Me Kids Activities
Activities
Literacy Activity: The Perfect Pet
Objectives
Children will develop listening skills.
Children will learn about different kinds of pets.
Children will create a graph.
Materials
- The Perfect Pet
by Margie Palatini
- Pet pictures
Directions:
The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini is an amusing story about a girl named Elizabeth who tries to convince her parents that she should have a pet. As Elizabeth lists the advantages of each animal, requesting everything from a horse to a rat, her parents find reasons to reject each one. Elizabeth eventually solves her problem by adopting a bug as a pet.
Before reading The Perfect Pet, ask children about the different pets that they have. Make a graph with pictures or names of the different types of pets at the top (dog, cat, lizard, bird, rabbit, snake, fish, horse, etc.) that children have.
Some children may not have pets, so instead, make a graph of pets that they wish they had. Let their imaginations soar (unicorn, dinosaur, dragon, etc.). Ask questions like: "Why would you want that kind of pet?" "How would you take care of your pet?" "What you feed your pet?"
Extensions:
Writing Prompt: The perfect pet would be a __________.
Toy Pet Hug Day Invite children to bring their favorite toy pet from home to share with their friends. Apply masking tape on each toy and write the child's name and the pet's name on the tape. Gather children in a circle and invite children to describe and introduce their pet one at a time. Let children pass or carry their toy pets around the circle and let the other children pet, stroke, or gently hug them. Point out that real pets like the same gentle kind of treatment. Discuss with children that if we have a pet we are responsible for their health and happiness.
Pet Rocks Let children create a rock toy pet. Provide large pebble rocks, fabric scraps, Styrofoam balls, pompoms, pipecleaners, yarn, and white glue.
Additional Activities and Printables
Guess the Pet Game
Cut pictures of animals (2 of each animal) out of magazines or coloring books. Pin one picture on each child's back. Have children move around the room behaving like the picture of the animal on their back. The object is for the children to locate their matching animal.
Obedience School
Have children pretend to be dogs. As a few dog commands are called out (fetch, sit, lie down, roll over, bark, beg, come, etc.), have children act them out.
Movement Activities
The Pets Go . . .
(Tune: The Ants Go Marching)
The dogs go running one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The dogs go running one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The dogs go running one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go running round and round
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Love Your Pets Song
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Love, love
Love your pets,
Love them
Every day.
Give them food
And water, too,
Then let them
Run and play.
