Make learning fun with this hands-on zoo animal sorting tray activity for kids! Perfect for preschool and kindergarten, this interactive idea builds early science and classification skills through play.
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Are you planning a visit to the zoo or studying zoo animals with the kids? Then let the kids play with tons of animals as they learn and sort through this Who Lives in the Zoo activity!
This activity came about after we read the book Miss Moo Goes to the Zoo, which is a funny story about a cow who is looking for a change of scenery from her home at the farm.
Looking for more animal-themed fun and learning? Try our Learning about Nocturnal Animals Free Printable Activities to explore animals that come alive at night, or keep little hands busy with our Farm Animal Playdough Mat Set—perfect for hands-on play and fine motor skills. And for a playful movement break, don’t miss these adorable zoo yoga poses that help kids stretch, move, and roar like their favorite animals
🦁 More Zoo Fun to Read & Explore
Extend the learning with books and hands-on activities that bring the zoo to life! Put Me In the Zoo is a silly, colorful classic that gets kids giggling while they learn, and Good Night, Gorilla is a bedtime favorite that’s perfect for little animal lovers. For more interactive play, we love the MAGNA-TILES® Safari Animals set—it adds a STEM twist to zoo fun. And don’t forget the Zoo Animal Sticker Sheets—they’re perfect for creative play or rewarding little learners after a job well done!
To set up the activity I grabbed two bins and labeled them Zoo and Farm and then I grabbed some toy animals and stuck them in a bin. If you don’t have farm animals you could use ocean animals, insects, or whatever you have on hand–keep the activity easy and simple :).
I was originally thinking each of my kids could take turns doing the activity on their own but they were having fun playing with each other so I turned it into a two person activity.
To do the activity they each took turns picking out an animal from the bin and putting it in the area, farm or zoo. Toward the end of the activity Little Dragon thought he would be a silly and started putting the farm animals in the zoo and the zoo animals in the farm. Then a whole food chain reenactment took place between my two kids. Thank goodness the zoo has everything under control with separate areas :).
As kids sort through the animals ask them questions like:
- What does the animal eat?
- Where does the animal live when it’s not at the zoo?
- What does the animal say?
- How does the animal move? (jump, walk, crawl) My kids loved demonstrating their answers to this question.
More Zoo Activities by the Creative Preschool Team
Giraffe Finger Puppet Craft by I Heart Crafty Things
Z is for Zebra Alphabet Craft by School Time Snippets
Recycled K Cup Lion Craft by Artsy Momma
Zoo Creative Drawing Ideas by Hand Made Kids Art
More Resources
Learning Resources Jumbo Jungle Animals-affiliate link
I have got to check out that book! It looks so cute! I love your sorting activity to go along with it!
Thanks Rachel! It’s a silly one and perfect for this activity.
That book sounds adorable! And I love those big animals– perfect for little hands!
Hi Kristina, Thanks so much! I love the animals too and I am so bummed I can’t find the same set anymore because we are missing large ocean animals from our collection.