National Pet Month | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Pet Month. For official information, themes, and resources, please visit the National Pet Month website: www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk.

Understanding National Pet Month in EYFS & KS1

Let's celebrate our wonderful animal friends and learn how to be super pet owners! 🐾❤️ National Pet Month is a special time celebrated every year in the UK from the 1st of April to the 1st of May. It's organised by the National Pet Month charity. The main idea of this month is to teach everyone how to be a responsible pet owner and to show how good it is for people to have pets, and for pets to have loving people! It encourages pet owners to think about their pets' five welfare needs (things like needing food, water, a comfortable home, friends, and feeling happy and safe). It also shares helpful ideas and events to help people understand the joy and the important jobs that come with having a pet.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this month provides a fantastic and caring theme for exploring animals, responsibility, empathy, understanding the world (living things), and personal, social & emotional development (PSED). It's about introducing children to the world of pets, teaching them about animal care, and fostering a sense of compassion for all living creatures. This month offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about pets and caring for animals both heartwarming and educational!

Why Is Learning About Pets & Responsible Ownership Important for Young Children?

Integrating National Pet Month and lessons about pets and responsible ownership into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) fosters empathy, teaches responsibility, and builds an early understanding of animal welfare.

• Fosters Empathy & Compassion: Helps children understand that animals have feelings and needs, encouraging kind and gentle interactions.

• Teaches Responsibility: Introduces basic concepts of caregiving (feeding, walking, cleaning) in an age-appropriate way.

• Promotes Safety Around Animals: Educates children on how to interact safely with pets and other animals.

• Understanding Living Things: Expands children's knowledge of the animal kingdom, focusing on common domestic animals.

• Emotional Development: Pets can provide comfort and companionship, and learning about them can help children express their own emotions.

• Connection to Community: Highlights the role of veterinarians and other 'People Who Help Us' in caring for animals.

Engaging Pet Activities for National Pet Month (0-7 Year Olds)

Let's wag our tails and purr with delight for National Pet Month with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on learning about pets, how to care for them, and celebrating the joy they bring! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated 'Pets' and broader 'Animals' themed resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating National Pet Month in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)

• Introduce Pets:

  • Start by discussing what a pet is and what kind of pets children might have or know. Use the 'Pets Word Mat'.

  • Create a display with 'Our Pets' Banner'.

  • Use 'Pet Word Cards' to introduce vocabulary for different pets.

• Responsible Pet Ownership:

  • Discuss what different pets need to be happy and healthy. Use our 'What Does A Cat Need?' and 'What Does A Dog Need?' resources.

  • Introduce basic pet facts with 'Pets Fact Cards'.

  • Set up a 'Veterinary Surgery Role-Play Pack' to act out taking care of sick pets, reinforcing the role of 'People Who Help Us'.

• Creative & Fine Motor Activities:

  • Encourage children to draw their own pet or an imaginary pet using 'Draw A Pet Sheets'.

  • Use 'Pets Colouring' for creative expression.

  • Engage fine motor skills with 'Feed The Cat Pencil Control Mats' and 'Feed The Dog Pencil Control Mats'.

  • Allow children to express what their pet can do with 'Pets - 'My Pet Can' Drawing/Writing/Mark Making Sheets' and 'Pets - 'My Pet Spider Can' Drawing/Writing/Mark Making Sheets'.

• Pet-Themed Literacy & Numeracy:

  • Practice numbers with 'Pets Number Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen Or Loose Parts' and 'Pets Number Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen Or Loose Parts'.

  • Sing and learn songs about pets using 'Sleeping Bunnies Song Words', 'Pussycat Pussycat Song Words', 'and Bingo Song Words'.

  • Play 'Pets 2-Piece Puzzles' and 'Pets 2-Piece Puzzles - Colouring' for matching and problem-solving.

  • Play 'Pet Descriptions Game' to practice descriptive language.

• Organisational & Planning:

  • Use the 'Pet Monitor' Organisation Set' to assign roles in a pretend pet care routine.

  • Consult 'Planning - Topic Plan Ideas - Pets' and 'Planning - Topic Plan Ideas - Animals' for broader activity ideas.

• Broader Animal Connections:

  • Explore other animals, understanding that pets are just one type of animal. Use resources from our 'Animal Packs - Rabbit' or 'Animals Of The World Mega Colouring Pack'.

  • Practice sorting animals with 'Animal Sorting Game/Activity'.

  • Engage with maths using 'Animal Number Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen Or Loose Parts' and 'Feed The Rabbit Playdough Counting Mats'.

  • Reinforce literacy with 'Animal Description Cards - Phase 1 Sounds', 'Animal Alphabet Horizontal Flashcards/Posters - Upper & Lower Case', 'Animal Alphabet/Initial Sound Puzzles', 'Animal Initial Sound Match Game', and 'Animal Word Slice Puzzles - Phase 2 Sounds'.

• Explore More: Please visit our ‘Pets’ page to browse our entire collection of educational materials on this theme. You may also like to explore additional pages covering relevant and/or connected themes such as ‘Animals’, ‘Habitats’, ‘Wildlife’, ‘The Environment’, and 'People Who Help Us' (like vets!).

These activities offer great inspiration for making National Pet Month a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering empathy, responsibility, animal welfare awareness, and a love for all creatures great and small.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Pet Month’

Free ‘Pet’ activities for EYFS & KS1:

Inspirational ‘Pet’ activities for EYFS & KS1:

‘Animal’ packs that contain activities for learning about ‘Pets’ | EYFS & KS1:

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes

More Early Years Event Pages for April

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'National Pet Month'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the National Pet Month charity, which organises this event. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and resources about responsible pet ownership and the benefits of pets, please visit the National Pet Month website: www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk.