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Pet theme for toddlers: a week of activities

A pet theme lesson plan for toddlers: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (two or three minutes, on laps), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for toddlersThe whole pet week

A day of the pet theme with toddlers

  1. Arrival and free play on the floor.
  2. Sing “Three Little Kittens” with actions; repeat it while you change and feed.
  3. Hold and pass something real for the week (pet), and say its name.
  4. Snack: a toddler-safe version of turtle sandwich (check the recipe's lines for under-4s).
  5. Outside: a short walk looking for dog.
  6. Read Bev Has a Pet on laps, pointing and naming.
  7. Nap, then the song once more at pick-up.

Pet circle time

  1. Hello song: sing hello to each child by name.
  2. Look out of the window together: sun, rain or clouds?
  3. Show the theme: hold up something real and name it.
  4. Sing: Three Little Kittens.
  5. Read: Bev Has a Pet (level 1).

Infants and toddlers: two or three minutes, on laps.

Pet theme books

  • Bev Has a Pet (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Guess Bev's pet, in a pattern little ones can say along.
  • Pup in the Tub (level 1, free on peabody.kids): Bath time for a puppy: caring for a pet.
  • A Cat and a Dog (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Two pets who become friends.
  • Jem and Pug Sit (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud: a pug learning to sit.

Infants and toddlers: one book, read every day; point and name.

Pet craft: Paper-plate puppy

You need (5): paper plate, brown paper ears (grown-up cuts), crayons, glue stick, a paper tongue.

  1. Draw the eyes and the nose.
  2. Glue the floppy ears on the sides.
  3. Glue the tongue under the nose and name your puppy.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Infants and toddlers: let them touch and hold the materials while you make it; nothing small enough to swallow.

Pet song: Three Little Kittens

The words

Three little kittens, they lost their mittens, And they began to cry, "Oh, Mother dear, we sadly fear Our mittens we have lost." "What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens! Then you shall have no pie." "Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow." "No, you shall have no pie."

Eliza Follen, 1843; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Pet snack

Turtle Sandwich from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Bread → gluten-free bread.

Letter P activities

PpP is for pet. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Infants and toddlers: skip the trace page; show the picture page and say the word.

Outside activity: Walk the dog

Pairs take turns: one is the dog on all fours, one is the walker. Sit, stay, and walk slowly.

Pet theme for 2 year oldsPet theme for 3 and 4 year oldsPet theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30