Plan a fun zoo-themed week for preschoolers with Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell! Includes zoo crafts, sensory play, counting activities, songs, books, and movement ideas for young learners.
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Dear Zoo Weekly Planner
Get ready for a week of roaring fun and playful learning with this zoo-themed weekly planner for preschoolers inspired by the beloved lift-the-flap book Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. Designed to make planning easy for parents and caregivers, this themed week blends early literacy, math, sensory play, art, movement, and music into simple, hands-on activities your child will love.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is a playful lift-the-flap picture book in which a child writes to the zoo asking for a pet. One by one, the zoo sends different animals—each hidden under a flap—but every animal is sent back because it’s too big, too scary, too tall, or not quite right. In the end, the zoo finally sends the perfect pet: a lovable puppy. With simple text, surprise flaps, and repetitive language, Dear Zoo is perfect for engaging young children and supporting early literacy skills.
Don’t have the book? You can listen to a Read Aloud of Dear Zoo on YouTube
Zoo Songs for Preschoolers
Music is a fun and engaging way for preschoolers to explore the zoo and learn about animals! These zoo songs for preschoolers combine catchy melodies, simple lyrics, and movement to help little ones practice animal names, sounds, and actions while developing language, listening, and gross motor skills.
From sing-alongs like “Let’s Go to the Zoo” and “We’re Going to the Zoo” to playful counting and guessing games in “Who’s in the Zoo?”, these songs bring the excitement of a zoo visit right into your home or classroom. Plus a little zoo virtual field trip!
Let’s Go To The Zoo | Super Simple Songs
We’re Going to the Zoo | Little Action Kids
Who’s In the Zoo | The Kiboomers
Virtual Field Trip – Zoo Adventure by ABCmouse
Zoo Themed Schedule of Activities for Preschoolers
Each week we provide a simple plan of activities for you and your preschoolers to do together. Although we don’t have a strict schedule the one shown below works really well if you are planning a full week.
If not you can always carry out the activities on a single day or across a couple.
Throughout the week, your preschooler will explore the zoo through storytime, songs, crafts, and imaginative play. In addition to reading Dear Zoo and other favorite zoo books for preschoolers, you’ll sing along to zoo-themed songs that build language skills and encourage movement and participation. Music and stories help reinforce animal names, sounds, and early vocabulary while keeping learning joyful and engaging.
This planner includes a variety of playful activities such as:
- Zoo-inspired snack ideas and dramatic play
- Wearable zoo hats for pretend play and storytelling
- A hands-on muddy zoo sensory bin
- Zoo animal salt painting for creative expression
- A zoo animal counting activity to support early math skills
- Gentle animal yoga movements to encourage gross motor development
- Simple Dear Zoo crafts that connect reading with creativity
Zoo Weekly Planner for Preschool
Zoo Weekly Planner for Preschool Inspired by Dear Zoo
This planner brings zoo learning to life with a mix of hands-on, creative, and movement-based activities designed for preschoolers. Children will enjoy zoo-inspired snacks and dramatic play, create and wear animal hats for storytelling, explore textures in a muddy zoo sensory bin, and express themselves through zoo animal salt painting. Early math skills are supported with a fun zoo animal counting activity, while gentle animal yoga encourages movement and body awareness. The week wraps together with simple Dear Zoo crafts that connect storytime with imaginative, creative play.
Muddy Zoo Sensory Bin is a fun sensory zoo themed activity for toddlers & preschoolers. It’s the perfect sensory bin to take outside this spring or summer!
These free printable Zoo Hats feature letters of the alphabet! Get ready for your zoo field trip or zoo unit in style.
You can make this Zoo Animal Puppets for Retelling the Story.
Create your very own zoo with this adorable Zoo Animal Counting Activity. Using wooden popsicle sticks and tiny plastic zoo animals your child will practice their number recognition, fine motor skills and build their imagination with this fun zoo activities for preschoolers.
Heading to the zoo with the under 5 crowd? Here are some fun preschool zoo activities and snacks! A fun scavenger hunt, snack & lunch ideas and more!
While you're snacking you can explore your own backyard zoo of animals for some outdoor exploration.
A colorful zoo animal salt painting activity perfect for little artists! Learn how to make adorable salt‑painted animals with simple materials and fun techniques.
Once you're created your zoo art you can add some movement with this zoo yoga positions.
Zoo Books for Preschoolers
Books are a wonderful way to extend zoo learning and spark curiosity in young children. This collection of zoo books for preschoolers includes a mix of classic favorites, playful counting and color books, gentle stories, and movement-based yoga adventures. Together, these stories introduce children to zoo animals through engaging illustrations, simple text, rhythm, and repetition—perfect for building early literacy skills, animal recognition, and imagination.
Whether you’re reading aloud at storytime, connecting books to hands-on activities, or encouraging calm moments with yoga and mindfulness, these zoo-themed books help bring the excitement of a day at the zoo into your child’s learning routine.
- Curious George Goes to the Zoo by H. A. Rey
- The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom
- Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
- 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle
- Construction Zoo by Jennifer Thorne
- Zoo by Wonder House Books
- Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo by John Lithgow
- My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
- Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert
- Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
- Zoo Day by Anne Rockwell
- Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids by Kristen Fischer
- Justine and Joey at the Zoo by Giselle Shardlow
- Yoga at the Zoo: Little Mouse Adventures by Teresa Anne Power
Whether you’re planning a full zoo-themed week or simply adding a few animal-inspired activities to your routine, this preschool planner makes it easy to turn learning into playful exploration. With engaging books, songs, crafts, sensory play, movement, and early math activities, your child can experience the excitement of the zoo in meaningful, hands-on ways.
Snuggle up with a favorite zoo story, sing along to animal songs, and enjoy watching your preschooler learn, move, and create—one animal adventure at a time.
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