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Super simple and silly game for helping kids practice where animals live that’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
This game is super fun for toddlers and preschoolers alike.
And bonus is there is no prep and no mess involved. But lots of learning and energetic fun!
Even if your kids don’t know where an animal lives, if they can sit, stand and lay down at request then they can play!!
For This Where Do Animals Live Game You’ll Need:
- A variety of animal toys
- basket or bag
- Medium amount of floor space
Setting up Where do Animals Live Gross Motor Game
First I gathered animal toys from around the house.
I gathered stuffies, bath toys, dog toys and other toys from around the house.
You want to make sure to gather animals from Air, Sea and Land!
We used bird, butterfly, owl, bumble bee / duck, swan, frog, turtle, fish, octopus / dog, bunny, cow, pony, lamb, elephant, giraffe and dinosaur.
Once you have gathered your animals mix them all up in a bag or basket.
Bonus if the kids can’t see inside it!
We used a large paper shopping bag.
How to Play Where Do Animals Live Game
I got my two kids to come to a medium sized open space in my living room.
I don’t have a big house so we don’t have a whole ton of floor space. So this activity can easily be done in a smaller home like mine!
You only need enough room for all the kids playing to lay down easily.
I explained we were going to play a game with animals!
“When I take an animal out of this bag we will name it and then decide where it lives with actions!
If it lives in the air we will stand up and reach for the sky!
If it lives in the sea or water we will lay down on the floor like we are swimming.
And if it lives on the land then we will sit down on the floor.”
Both kids were intrigued!
Preschooler Expectations
Charlie is almost 4 so I know he would understand the game easily and be able to follow the instructions.
For him this would be a memory and thinking activity.
I didn’t expect him to remember what the actions were with the first few animals. But after a few times I know he had the potential to remember.
For the first few animals I asked, “What is this animal? Where does it live? What action do we do for ___”
And of course I was prepared to remind him.
Toddler Expectations
On the other hand, Maisie is 18 months old. My little toddler.
For her this was going to be a learning game and copying actions too.
She could name the animals but doesn’t know where they live yet.
Nor did I expect her to remember what actions go with each answer.
For Maisie she was a part of the question “What animal is this?”
Too make sure she was included I often directed that question to her. Since she is really good with naming her animals!
Then I would direct the next question to Charlie about where the animal lives.
Once we had identified where the animal lives and what the action was I would say to Maisie, “Can you lay down like a fishy?” Or “Can you reach for the sky like the Butterfly?” Etc.
This was a realistic expectation for my wee girl.
Playing Where Do Animals Live Game
Now that the rules were laid out it was time to play where do animals live!
I pulled out the animals one by one. At first the kids just did the laying, sitting and reaching for the sky.
Laying down for the ducky because in lives in the lake.
Sitting on the floor for the cow because it lives on the land.
Standing up to reach for the sky for the bird because it lives in the air.
After a few animals into the game, Charlie decided to be the animals too.
He got right into it! This is a new thing as pretend play has not really been something he understood until recently.
And Maisie followed right along! She thought this was hilarious.
Instead of just reaching the sky the kids flapped their wings for animals that live in the sky!
And tried jumping right into the sky themselves.
Bunnies don’t just sit down, they hop all around! So the kids did too.
Dogs stand on all 4 legs, not just sit. And apparently they also wiggle their bums! Haha
We had a blast!
Every now and then Maisie would pause and just listen to the conversations Charlie and I would have about the animals.
And then big brother would encourage her to copy him and lay or stand like that animal does.
We talked about each animal and not only about where it lives.
Where it lives, what it says and how it moves around.
Even what it eats sometimes too.
We have managed to play this game a few times now. And it’s always fresh because we gather different toys each time!
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