The Kaboose Funschool website offers a variety of online games designed for children in preschool and kindergarten. Included in these are a number of games about animals, called the "Amazing Animals" section. The Funschool "Animal Homes" game allows children to help various animals find their natural habitats. A game based on geography and science, preschoolers use a computer mouse to navigate through the outdoors in the game, matching animals to their homes. Simple and colorful, this game teaches preschoolers about animal homes and basic computer usage.
Following a discussion on different animals and their habitats, prepare a handout for preschoolers depicting a variety of animals down the left side and a variety of different animal homes down the right side. Include animals and homes such as birds, nests, rabbits, burrows, bears and dens. Encourage the children to match the animals to their proper homes. This is a fun, memory-based activity that children can do relatively independently or in groups. Discuss the answers with the class at the end.
Take preschoolers on an interesting field trip to a nearby aquarium or zoo. These places house many different species of animals and demonstrate proper habitats, or homes, where animals live. A trip to the zoo, for example, allows children to witness animals such as groundhogs in their natural habitat, and reptiles in the heat, humidity and greenery they enjoy. Take pictures of the animal homes you encounter at the zoo or aquarium and discuss the different aspects of them with the children in the classroom.
Take a nature walk with preschoolers in a local park or forested area. As you go, discuss the different types of homes that animals commonly seen in parks inhabit; these animals can include squirrels and birds, which typically live in nests, and rabbits, which live in burrows underground. If you see a cat or dog, you can discuss how cats and dogs normally live in people's houses but sometimes get lost. Have the children point out the different animal homes they see, such as nests in the trees. This is an interactive activity and preschoolers enjoy exploring the outdoors.