At this age, children are learning letter-sound recognition, and using kangaroos is an ideal way to teach students the sound the letter "K" makes. Print out an image of a kangaroo and on the paper underneath the kangaroo, print an upper- and lowercase letter "K." On top of the page, write "'K' is for Kangaroo." Make photocopies of the papers and distribute them to students. Ask children to identify the animal on the page, as well as the letter. Talk about the sound the letter "K" makes and how the word "kangaroo" begins with the letter "K." Have children trace the upper- and lowercase letters and then color in the picture of the kangaroo.
Use this activity to teach preschool and kindergarten children how kangaroos move about. Talk about how humans walk and run to get around, but kangaroos hop to move. Invite children to do their best imitation of a kangaroo jump. Play a game of kangaroo hop. Split the class into teams and have the teams engage in a relay race in which they hop like kangaroos.
At this age, fine motor skills are rapidly developing. Present children with a kangaroo craft activity that will help them develop those skills. Print out an outline of a kangaroo, make copies of it and distribute it to children. Give children brown construction paper and have them either tear the paper into small pieces or use safety scissors and cut the paper into small pieces. Instruct them to wad the pieces of paper into balls and then glue them onto the outline of the kangaroos.
Children of this age enjoy singing and can learn a lot through songs. Sing a kangaroo-themed song with your students. The song, developed by the Charles County Public Library, is sung to the tune of "This Old Man." Instructions for motions to make while singing are in parentheses.
Jump, jump, jump (jump)
Goes the kangaroo
I thought there was one (hold up one finger)
But now I see two! (hold up two fingers)
It's a mommy and her baby
With his head popping out (jump)
He hold on tight (wrap arms around body)
As they jump about.