Letter Z Preschool Activities (And Free Preschool Lesson Plan Z is for Zoo)
Whether you are planning a letter of the day preschool for a crowd or you just want some activities for your child, sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas for Z. But these activities include games, music, crafts, and more! Kids will enjoy and learn from these creative and hands-on Letter Z activities for preschool. This post includes all you need to teach the free preschool lesson plan Z is for Zoo!
This lesson completes our alphabet lesson plan series. I can’t believe we made it! Whew! These lessons have been a blast for me to create, do with my kids, and share with you. They are intended to help make your experience teaching preschool in your home easier, educational, and more fun.
Preschool at Home
Most importantly, the best part of doing preschool at home is the chance to teach my kids (and whatever buddies are with us) the things that really matter, laugh together, and shower them with love at this young and important age. My hope is that these lesson plans and activities help you in your efforts to do the same.
If you’re just joining us, you might be interested in my quick tips for getting started with successful home preschool.
Use and share these plans to talk, sing, read, write, and play your way through the alphabet; these kinds of activities are the foundation of building strong readers. You can use our full lesson plans, or, of course, pick individual activities to do with the Littles in your life. Lastly, I am also a budget-friendly Mama, so no worries there: our activities are always easy on the pocketbook. Now, let’s get to it!
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Visit the Preschool Lesson Plan Index to see what free plans are published or in the works!
Update: You can now get ALL of the Alphabet Lesson Plans, Checklists, and Printables, (plus Bonus Ideas and 75+ exclusive preschool printables!) all in one budget-friendly digital product…A to Z and Beyond! Preschool Curriculum.
INTRODUCTION
First off, gather on the floor for circle time and start with a welcome song. We have been singing, “Hello to All the Children of the World”. Each week we have been briefly spotlighting one of the countries or features in the song.
Earlier we talked about the line that says, “We speak in many different ways!” One way to speak that is not in the song is with sign language.
Today, we’ll learn the final signs of the song, representing the last line “Then what good friends we all could be.” We will sign “Then we (would be is implied) good friends.” Each of these words can be found in this super helpful signing dictionary that shows how to make the signs.
Sign “then” by holding one hand in front of you, with thumb and pointer fingers out, palm facing your stomach. Use the other pointer finger to loosely swipe from the pointer of the other hand, above to the thumb, and then past the pointer again.
One way to sign “we” is to use your right hand to point to the right side of your chest and then the left side.
To make the sign for “good,” hold out one hand with your fingers together, thumb out, and palm facing up. Put the other hand in the same form, but with your fingers touching your chin. Move your hand from your chin to lay on top of the first hand, both palms facing up now.
We get ready to sign the word “friends” by making fists with only the pointer fingers out and then bending the pointer fingers. Make the sign by interlocking the pointer fingers (one palm facing up and the other palm facing down), then flipping the hands over and interlocking the pointer fingers again.
Sing the song again, using all of the signs!
Write and Sing: Letter Z
We started off with me explaining that today we would learning about the last letter of the alphabet, Z! I told how both uppercase and lowercase Z are made of three straight lines.
We sang the Z Song in the Alphabet Operetta
The Alphabet Operetta is one of my favorite ways to learn and practice the alphabet. There is one song for each letter of the alphabet, each with a catchy tune and something important to remember about the letter. We listen to it a lot in the car.
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You could also access the songs for free by signing up for an Amazon Music Unlimited Free Trial
Talk: Z is for Zoo!
I introduced the sound of the letter z. It’s zzzz like zig and zag in the song. We brainstormed other words that also begin with z like zipper and zero. One of my favorite z words is zoo. I love seeing all the animals!
Talk about what the zoo is and ask about any memories at the zoo. Today, we’re going to do a lot of zoo activities.
Sing: Daddy’s Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow
We got right into the fun by singing and dancing along to the song Daddy’s Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow. Little #5 especially loved pretending to drive.
Read: The View at the Zoo
In The View at the Zoo
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Play: Zoo Animal Bingo
When we go to the zoo, we want to see all the different animals. Let’s play a game to see some of those zoo animals. We played Zoo Animal Bingo.
This game has 27 animal cards and 8 Bingo boards. The boards have nine spaces each, so we went ahead and played until all the spaces were filled. For shorter games, you could play three-in-a-row wins. A copy of the game is included in the Free Lesson Plan Checklist.
Bingo was a fun introduction to all the animals. And who doesn’t love the simple joy of Bingo?! Little #5 sure does! Watch the video for proof. 🙂
The kids would have played more Bingo rounds, so we saved the game to play it another day. Afterward, I had to smile when Little #4 said, “Look, Mom. I’m making a zig-zag Z!” I thought her spontaneous Z using her Bingo Cheerios looked awesome!
Play: Zoo Animal Play Cube
After Bingo, our next activity got us up and moving. It was time to act like zoo animals!
We used the Zoo Animal Play Cube (printable included in the free Lesson Plan Checklist). Someone rolled the cube, and then we all acted like the animal on top.
Acting like the animals helped us learn how the different animals move, where they live, and what they eat. For some added fun, I played circus music in the background.
Little #4 liked being a pink flamingo. My second favorite was probably nuzzling like a tiger, but Little #5 and I most enjoyed ice sliding down the giant bean bag like a penguin!
Sing: When Animals Get Up in the Morning
Next we sang a song with lots of animal sounds in it. When Animals Get Up in the Morning is a fun one because you can sing about so many different animals. You can use the Zoo Animals Play Cube or the Bingo cards to decide which animals to sing about. Or, you can do like we did and have kids take turns choosing animals.
Read: Class Two at the Zoo
Our next book for today was Class Two at the Zoo
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Sing: I’m Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor
Class Two was eaten by an anaconda, but I know a song about a different kind of snake; it’s a boa constrictor. As we are eaten bit by bit, we don’t like it one bit! But I’m Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor is sure to bring out the giggles again, especially when we ham it up.
Play: Zoo Animal Patterns Unscramble
One of the amazing things about animals is that each is unique. Just like us, they all have different traits and characteristics that make them special. Many animals have beautiful colors and patterns.
But, uh oh! These animals got all mixed up! Can you help them find their own patterns?
The Zoo Animal Patterns Unscramble (included in the Free Lesson Plan Checklist) is a really fun math activity. First, preschoolers decide which prints go with which animal. Next, they create patterns with the prints.
Here’s a short video of the Unscramble in motion.
Little #4 had a fun time making the patterns for the parrot, turtle, giraffe, tiger, and zebra. She also loved watching her Unscramble in Lapse Time, so you might want to give that a try too. 🙂
Talk: Zookeepers’ Job
At the zoo, the zookeepers have a very important job. They are in charge of taking really good care of the animals. We discussed how this includes feeding the animals, keeping them clean, making their environment exciting and enriching, and educating people, among other tasks.
Our next line of discussion was about how to become a zookeeper.
Do you think it would be fun to be a zookeeper? I know when I was young, I wanted to be one. What do you think you could to become a zookeeper? Someone who wants to be a zookeeper should learn about animals and how to take good care of our world.
Here are ten things for elementary-aged kids to do if they are interested in becoming a zookeeper.
Read: Good Night, Gorilla
After talking about zookeepers, it was time to read a fun story about one: Good Night, Gorilla
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Good Night, Gorilla is one of our favorites and even made my list of 15 Best Bedtime Stories for Toddlers and Preschoolers [To Help Kids Calm Down and Feel Loved].
Play and Craft: Theatrical Play
Our next activity was to put on a mini production of Good Night, Gorilla!
Theatricals are so fun! Plus, putting on a play is a really great way to learn about storytelling, enhance memory skills, utilize other talents such as art, and build teamwork skills.
Good Night, Gorilla is an ideal option for a preschool play for several reasons. The storyline is short and simple. The parts are very flexible. You only have to have two actors (a zookeeper and a gorilla with the other animals being pretend). But, if you have more actors, you can have as many animals as you want.
For all these reasons, another great option is Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book
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After deciding which story you will use, it’s time to prepare the play!
Prepare and Practice for the Play
Decide who will act which parts. Determine which props you want, and then gather or make those. We decided to use real keys for the gorilla to steal from the zookeeper, use a blanket and pillow for the zookeeper’s bed, and make a mask for the gorilla. It could be fun for reach actor to make a paper plate mask.
Practice introducing the show and thanking people for coming. Run through the story and practice parts as much as you want.
Put on the Show!
It was fun to make a production of this! We set up chairs for an audience who consisted of some stuffed animals and some humans. We waited until family members could come watch the show.
If you’re doing a preschool group, it could be fun to ask parents to arrive a few minutes early for pick-up in order to watch the play. If you wait, of course finish the other activities first, and then perform the play.
Then, have fun performing your little hearts out!
Be sure to end with a rousing applause and a big, hand-holding bow. 🙂
Eat: Foods that Begin with the Letter Z
It would be fun to serve popcorn and snacks during or after the play.
If you want themed food (and why not?!), there aren’t too many realistic preschool options for foods that start with z. But our top three are zucchini, ziti pasta, or our #1 choice, zucchini muffins.
For this lesson, animal crackers or animal cookies would be a really good fit. You could also serve celery or salad or anything that animals eat, and say it’s animal food!
Talk: Animal Conservation
Today we have had a lot of fun with Letter Z is for Zoo. One of the important jobs for zoos is to protect animals and help species that are having a hard time in the wild. You can learn more here about endangered species and see pictures of some of them.
We can also be a part of protecting and helping our beautiful earth and its living creatures. We help out when we make choices to treat animals well, use resources wisely, and support zoos and other organizations that care about the earth.
What is something you can do to help animals?
Write: Alphabet Review
Because we are at the Letter Z, it is a good time to review the alphabet! We did this with the Alphabet Beginning Sounds Game Cards (included in Free Lesson Plan Checklist).
We practiced two different ways. First, we used a metal pan as a magnetic board. We put a Game Card on the pan, and Little #4 found the magnetic letter to fill in the blank of the beginning sound. We did several of the cards. She needed help with many of these, which is definitely age appropriate.
Our favorite letter magnets are the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set. These magnetic letters are a really fun and educational toy to have around. Ours have lasted for years, and the kids enjoy playing with the letters while I work in the kitchen. This could be a fun birthday present or surprise for being at the end of the alphabet in preschool!
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Second, I put some of the Game Cards into page protectors. Little #4 (and most kids, hey even me!) really enjoy writing with the dry erase markers. She practiced writing several of the letters over and over.
Lastly, I have included an Alphabet to Trace in the Preschool Lesson Plan Checklist. We didn’t get to it today, but we’ll do it soon. If you’ve followed along, you may have saved the alphabet that your preschooler traced in our very first lesson in this series, A is for Alphabet. It would be awesome to compare and see how much your Little has grown!
Sing: Goodbye Song
We closed up by reviewing our letter of the day: what Letter Z looks and sounds like. I briefly mentioned again that we can choose to help take good care of our living earth. We sang our goodbye song, and see you next week!
While this is the end of the alphabet, it’s not the end of Mommy Preschool for us! We will keep having our weekly time together learning, laughing, and playing.
If you’d like more ideas to help simplify preschool for you and your Littles, while still having a fun and meaningful time, be sure to check out the Preschool Lesson Plan Index and the Preschool Category here on the blog.
Thank you so much for coming along on our Preschool Adventures! I hope joining in has helped you find yourself more fully Lovin’ Life with your Littles.
Love,
Marielle
Leave a comment and share what activities your Littles are enjoying, what types of posts you’d like to see, or any other questions or thoughts you have. I love hearing from you. Share pictures on social media using #lovinlifewithlittles. Thanks for visiting, and Happy Preschooling!
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