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Looking for a simple way to add some fun and structure to your summer at home with little ones? Theme Week Summer was designed with preschool and early elementary-aged kids in mind, giving you a low-pressure rhythm for the season with flexible, intentional ideas. Each week centers around a new theme, and you can grab my free printables to create your own summer schedule and plan out books to read, activities to try, snacks to make, and more! 👉 Click here to visit the main blog post and get your free calendar and planning worksheet.

This week’s theme is Animals — a playful way to help your kids explore the amazing world of creatures big and small! Keep reading for easy animal-themed activities, fun book picks, snack ideas, and more to bring Animal Week to life! 🐾

Theme Week Summer: Easy Ideas for an Intentional Summer at Home

*Theme Week Summer* is all about simple, intentional fun at home with your preschoolers and early elementary kids! Grab free printables to plan your own summer themes and follow along with weekly inspiration, activities, books, snacks, and more.

See the post

Animals 🐾

If your kids love animals, this is the perfect week to add to your summer plans! Whether your little ones are obsessed with puppies, fascinated by wild safari animals, or just curious about every critter they see at the zoo, there are so many ways to make this theme your own.

Originally, I was going to make this week all about baby animals (because who doesn’t love tiny goats or fluffy chicks?), but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how fun it would be to open it up to all kinds of animals. This way, you can follow your child’s interests or even tie the theme into something you already have planned, like a zoo day, visiting a petting farm, or meeting a friend’s new litter of puppies or kittens!

You can go broad and explore a new type of animal each day… or keep it simple and focus on just one category for the week: pets, farm animals, zoo animals, ocean creatures, insects—whatever sparks your kids' curiosity. There’s no wrong way to do this!

Activities to Do

Paint or color your kids’ favorite animals
Make animal masks using paper plates
Play animal charades or a "guess that sound" game
DIY a mini animal habitat with blocks or toys
Match baby animals to their grown-up versions

shop activities & crafts

see ideas on pinterest

Places to Visit

A local zoo
- We live in Lancaster, PA, and we love a day trip to the Philadelphia Zoo! We also enjoy ZooAmerica at Hersheypark, and I took my son to Lake Tobias Wildlife Park when he was younger (I remember him sleeping in his car seat during the drive-thru safari 😂).
Petting Zoos
- Here are a few local places that I know about in Lancaster County, PA, that have some animals to visit:
  - The Pretzel Hut - an ice cream shop that has a really nice playground and a little petting zoo
  - Lil’ Country Store & Miniature Horse Farm - they have a free petting zoo with miniature horses
  - Oregon Dairy Deck & Playground - they have an outdoor window on their deck to order ice cream, a nice playground, and some animals to visit
  - Longs Park Petting Farm - this one is really hit or miss, as it is often not open (really based on worker availability, I think), but you can always stand at the fences to see the animals even if you can’t go in.
  - Pine View Dairy - this is a local dairy farm and store that offers ice cream, but you can also walk around to see some of their cows and pet some baby cows
  - White Clover Family Farm (York, PA) - this cute little family farm and roadside stand just started a Baby Farm Animal Experience where you can hang out with and learn about baby goats and baby pigs and pet and play with the animals while also learning about them and helping to feed, brush, milk and care for them. This is not free - it’s $10/person for a 45-minute session. (Kids under 2, no ticket required)
Local farms with animals
Cat Cafes (We have a new Cat Cafe in Lancaster that I’m excited to visit someday!)
- LanCATster Cat Cafe - This does require a reservation to book a session time to play with the cats. $12 for kids ages 5-12, $15 for adults
Local Animal Shelters
Find a friend with a new litter of puppies or kittens
Pet Stores
- We love visiting That Fish Place That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA - it’s fun to explore all of the different animals that are available there (my kids love touching the sting rays!) - lots of hamsters, bunnies, reptiles, birds, and fish to explore!
Special Events (Local in Lancaster, PA) - Summer 2025
- Lancaster Farm Sanctuary - Enjoy a walking tour around our sanctuary to meet and learn more about the animal residents, lasting about 1 hour. Tickets are $25. May 31 from 2:00-3:30 pm.
- Baby Animal Fest at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm - A day filled with fluffy chicks, wobbly lambs, playful calves, and more adorable baby animals. Kids 2 & under are free. Tickets are $19.95 + processing fees if you buy online (ages 3 and up). Tickets are $24.95 if you buy at the gate. May 31 & June 7 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Snacks to Eat

Animal Crackers
any animal-shaped snacks (fruit snacks, teddy grahams, iced circus animal cookies, etc.)
Zoo Animal Trail Mix

see ideas on pinterest

shop snack supplies

Books to Read

Click to scroll below to see book ideas to request from your local library, or click to shop online!

Shows to Watch

Animal TV Shows for Preschoolers
- Octonauts (Netflix) – Animal explorers rescue sea creatures and learn about marine life.
- The Lion Guard (Disney+) – Follows Simba’s son and his animal friends as they protect the Pride Lands.
- Wild Kratts (PBS Kids) – Teaches about real animals through animated adventures (great for early elementary too).
- Zoboomafoo (PBS Kids / YouTube) – Classic animal show mixing real animals and puppetry (older but so fun!).
- Bluey (Disney+) – Heartwarming, imaginative play featuring a lovable dog family.
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (PBS Kids / Max) – Life lessons and social-emotional learning from a friendly tiger and his neighbors.
- Franklin and Friends (Paramount+ / YouTube) – A sweet turtle and his animal friends navigate friendship and school.
- Puffin Rock (Netflix) – Soft narration and nature exploration with puffin siblings.
- Tumble Leaf (Amazon Prime Video) – Gentle storytelling and exploration with curious animal characters.
- Peppa Pig (Nick Jr.) – Simple, silly stories about a pig family that preschoolers love.
- Timmy Time (Amazon Prime / YouTube) – A little sheep learns life lessons in a stop-motion preschool world.
- Mickey Mouse Funhouse (Disney+) – Imaginative adventures with Mickey and friends, many of whom are animal characters.
Animal Movies for Preschoolers
- The Secret Life of Pets (Peacock / Prime Video) – A silly and fun look at what pets do when humans aren’t home.
- Sing (Netflix / Peacock) – Musical fun with a cast of animated animals pursuing their dreams.
- Madagascar (Netflix / Peacock) – Zoo animals go on a wild adventure; great for older preschoolers.
- Charlotte’s Web (Paramount+ / Rentable) – A classic tale of friendship among farm animals.
- Zootopia (Disney+) – A smart, funny, animal-filled city adventure; better for older preschoolers and up.
- Over the Hedge (Peacock) – A quirky animal crew learns to navigate suburban life.
- Paw Patrol: The Movie (Paramount+) – The hit show on the big screen—heroic pups save the day.
- Winnie the Pooh (Disney+) – Gentle stories, lovable animal characters, and timeless lessons.
- Finding Nemo (Disney+) – A colorful underwater journey starring a clownfish and his ocean friends.

Memory Verse

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals”

— Proverbs 12:10

Here’s a recap of our Animal Week:

Here’s a peek at what we actually did during Animal Week! 🐾
(Stay tuned!)

I’m so excited to dive into all the fun ways to explore the world of animals with my kids for this theme! Whether you choose to focus on pets, zoo animals, safari creatures, or baby animals, this theme is such a playful and engaging one for preschoolers and early elementary-aged kids. I hope this post gives you lots of ideas to help make your week special and simple.