Keep preschoolers active and spend time outdoors playing some physical games based on the different characteristics of zoo animals. Animal races that have the children waddle like a penguin, crawl like a crab or hop like a frog, teach them how each animal gets around. A game of charades will get the kids moving and laughing as they act out and try to guess the animal.
Animal-themed songs will get the kids shaking and dancing around the room, following the song's instructions. Kids can take turns leading the dance by moving and grooving like their favorite animal in a follow-the-leader parade. Each type of animal makes a different sound and kids can guess the animals' sounds heard within the music.
Animals each have their own special habitat they call home and preschoolers can match habitat photos with the appropriate animals. Other worksheets can be used to teach kids to match an animal with its preferred food or colors of the animals' skin or fur. Large puzzles can be purchased or made for children to put together revealing an animal.
Kids can put their imaginations to work pretending they are an animal, veterinarian or zookeeper. Other imagination games include going on a safari, visiting a pretend zoo or designing their own zoo in the classroom. Have each student make up and draw an imaginary animal and the type of habitat it would live in.