Letter of the Week: C is for Cat with Pete the Cat Free Printable

We are HUGE Pete the Cat fans so when it was time for the letter C we had to include him in this weeks letter of the week activities (you don’t have to have the book to play along). I created a fun hands on learning activity and free printable that can be used in lots of different ways. My toddler and preschooler where both able to learn and play side by side. I just LOVE it when this happens.

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Find all our Letter of the Week A-Z Series here.

3 Reasons Why I Like Hands On Learning:

• It sets up a “play” environment for learning
• Movement and visualization improve memorization
• More exciting and engaging compared to lectures and workbooks

C is for Cat with Pete the Cat

Suggested Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean

Suggested Song: See Pete the Cat on You Tube by HarperKids

Free Printable: C is for Cat Game

Objectives: Exploration, fine motor skills, sorting, patterns, memory, colors, matching, introduction to math

Age Group: Preschool/Early Elementary

Supplies:

• Solid colored buttons matching as many colors from the printable that you have available
• Page 1: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, White, Black, Brown
• Page 2: Pink, Gray, Teal, Tan, Light Pink
• Ice Cube Tray or other Sorting Container

Directions:

Print out C is for Cat printable and cut the cat cards out. I laminated our cards to keep them nice for multiple uses. Use as many or as little cards in each game. You may also want to remove the striped and spotted cats (kind of like the joker in a deck of cards).

With hands on activities, it is always a good idea to let children explore the supplies presented to them before giving any instruction. 

A Button for Pete (Motor Skills):

Lay cat cards out on the table. Have child place a button on each cat.

Mr. Tickles really liked giving each kitty a button.

Matchy Matchy Buttons for Pete (Colors & Matching): 

Match the color of the buttons to the colors of the cat. I lined up the cats in our ice cube tray, then Mr. Tickles (age 1.5) would pick up a button. I would say the color and point to the cat it matched and he would place it in the tray.

How Many Buttons (Counting):

Give child a random number of buttons. Have them place buttons in the tray as they wish. When all the buttons are in the tray, count the buttons found in each section.

Which Buttons will Pete Like? (Sorting)

Give child several buttons of each color. Line the cats up (I placed ours in the ice cube tray). Have child sort the buttons into the matching cats section.

What Color Comes Next (Patterns):

• Lay out 2 pairs of cats in an ABAB pattern. Talk about the pattern together (Yellow-purple-yellow-purple), then place the matching buttons with the cats while saying the pattern out loud.
• Lay out 3 cats in an ABA pattern, Talk about the pattern together, then figure out what cat comes next and place it on the board. You could add matching buttons too if you would like.

Find Pete’s Friend (Memory Game):

Select matching pairs of cats. Turn them face down on the table, then have child turn two cats over. If they make a match, remove the cats from the board. If the cats don’t match, turn them face down and return them to the board and try again. I would start out with around 5 pairs, then add more when child is ready.

Hello & Goodbye Pete (Addition & Subtraction):

Select a few cats (color doesn’t matter), line them up, then count them. Take away one cat or add one cat and count again to see how the number of cats changed. Talk about the change (We had 5 cats, we added one, and now we have 6. That means 5 + 1 is 6). I didn’t expect her to be able to tell me that 5+1=6, I just wanted to introduce her to math terminology.

Follow A Little Pinch of Perfect’s board Learn With Kids Activities on Pinterest. And that is the end of our C is for Cat activities for today. Let’s keep the learning going with more amazing hands on learning activities.

We love finding creative ways to use books to learn in our homeschool. Check out our Book-Based Learning Post to see more ways you can use books!

Make sure to stop by my lovely co-hosts to see what they have featured:

• 11 Unique Alphabet Learning Activities by Left Brain Craft Brain
• 10 Creative Art Activities by Totschooling
• Tips for Early Writing by  One Time Through