Materials
none
Instructions
* National Pet Week is the first full week in May.
1. Assign one pet to every two to four children in the group. For example, if
there are 15 children in the group, assign three children "dog," three
children "cat," three children "bird," and so on.
2. Have the children sit in a circle in any order. Make sure there is a space
between each child.
3. Choose a child to be the leader, if desired. The leader (or you) calls out, "A
customer wants to buy a...cat!"
4. When the animal's name is called out, the children with that pet must
run round the outside of the circle and back to their place.
5. When the leader says, "Pet shop Scramble!" all the pets get up and race
around the outside of the circle.
6. Continue playing the game, until all of the children have had a chance to
be the leader or lose interest.
More to do Use this game as part of a pet, animals, or shopping theme.
Adapt the game to suit your theme, using colors, numbers, shapes, and so
on.
Dramatic Play: Use this pet shop scenario as a dramatic play activity. One
child could be the shopkeeper, a few children can be a family of customers,
and the other children can be the pets of their own choice. Encourage
them to role play. For example, a child customer could pull on Dad's arm
and say, "Please, Dad, we have to get a dog to take for walks!" Another could
excitedly jump up and down saying, "No, I want a parrot, so I can teach it to
talk!" A cat could purr and rub her head against the mother's leg, while a
dog could sit up and beg. When each part has been practiced, encourage
the children to act out the whole scene.
Group or Circle Time: Talk about pets and how to care for them.
Music: Sing "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?"
