Preschool Letter of the Week: Z is for Zoo

Letter of the Week Theme: Z is for Zoo

We made it all the way through to “Z” is for Zoo!” Along with the letter of the week, we explore, numbers, shapes, and colors. You’ll get song, game, craft, and snack ideas, plus printable worksheets!

Print the one-page Preschool Weekly Focus and fit in activities throughout the week. Over the course of all 33 weeks, your child will enjoy classic preschool songs and games, and experience activities to encourage development of both gross and fine motor skills.

If you want to start at the beginning, check out A is for Animals or visit the preschool curriculum page for the complete A-Z outline for an overview of each letter.

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Preschool Letter of the Week Focus

Letter of the Week = Z
Theme of the Week = Zoo
Number of the Week = 1-100
Color of the Week = review
Shape of the Week = review

Letter Activities

Identify the letter Z: look for Z in books and on signs
Color, stamp, or decorate the letter Z (download a free printable letter Z)
Practice writing the letter Z (download a free printable for letters Y and Z)
Go on a letter sound hunt around the house (look for items that start with the letter of the week)
Look at a picture dictionary and talk about words that start with Z
Letter Z activity at www.starfall.com

Number Activities

Review numbers 1-10 (counting, identifying)
Practice counting to 100 (counting to 100 printable)
Count to 100 (YouTube – The Singing Walrus)

Shape and Color Activities

Go on a shape hunt to review shapes: circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, zigzags, cubes, spheres, and more
Review shapes and practice drawing favorite shapes (free printable shape review page)

Get the entire bundle of printables, PLUS supplemental worksheets and resources in my shop!

Letter “Z” and Zoo Theme Activities

Physical activity: play zigzag zoo (Tape zigzag lines on the floor and place stuffed animals or animal pictures at each point. Have your child move from point to point acting like that animal)
Practice using zippers
Use animal stamps to create a zoo scene; add details like trees, sun, and buildings using stickers or markers
Find zip codes on pieces of mail and identify the individual numbers for number review; use a marker or crayon to practice drawing circles or rectangles around the zip codes

Items You Might Use this Week

Zipper practice

Zoo animal stamps

Zoo animal lacing cards

Zoo animal match

100 healthy foods challenge available in my shop!

Letter “Z” and Zoo Theme Books

How the Zebra Got Its Stripes by Justine Fontes
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire
Sloth at the Zoo by Helaine Becker
Zachary Zebra’s Zippity Zooming by Barbara deRubertis
Zero, Zilch, Nada by Wendy Ulmer
Zinnia’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington

Letter “Z” and Zoo Theme Arts & Crafts

Zero painting with cardboard toilet paper tubes, jar lids, or any other circular-shaped item. Dip the edge gently in paint and create zeros (cut a big Z out of posterboard for even more Z fun!)
Zoo animal finger puppets (from I Heart Crafty Things)
Letter Z zebra craft (from kidsactivities.com)

Letter “Z” Snack and Food Ideas

animal crackers
“Zesta” crackers (brand similar to Saltines)
zucchini
zucchini bread
zucchini fries

Letter “Z” Field Trip Ideas

zoo
zigzag hunt
zipline

**If you want to try a virtual field trip, here are a few possibilities:

Blippi Visits the Zoo (YouTube – Blippi Toys): Learn about animals and go behind the scenes at the zoo.

Costa Rica Zip Line (YouTube – Travel Kids): A couple of kids go on a zipline tour in Costa Rica. They also see a sloth!

Additional Preschool Activities This Week

Sing The ABC song this week.

Sing Zip-a-dee-do-day

Practice drawing lines with a ruler

Preschool-on-a-Page

This one-page plan lists all the ideas we covered for letter, number, shape, color, and animal activities for the week. Use the preschool letter of the week to intentionally engage with your child and more than anything READ, READ, READ with them.

The recommended reading selections are comprised of both “newer” books and award-winning, classic works to expose your child to a variety of authors and well-known titles. Feel free to add to the suggested titles as desired and make your own choices based on your preferences or availability of material.

Preschool Letter of the Week Curriculum

I’ve made it easy for you to start a letter of the week curriculum with a complete preschool plan available in my shop. I spent all the hours browsing Pinterest for ideas and searching for activities that promote motor skill development, teach classic songs and games, and make learning fun. I used a letter of the week preschool learning plan to teach my three daughters, and you can too! Download the entire set and get started today!

Weekly Theme Cards
Weekly Focus Pages
letter of the week outlines for crafting
letter, number, and shape worksheets
supplemental worksheet activities
over 100 additional book recommendations
supply list for crafts and activities
list of concepts and kindergarten readiness activities introduced

Visit my Preschool Letter-of-the-Week Page to find the complete list of A-Z weekly themes

Preschool Letter of the Week Printables

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