Activity Inspiration: Animal Relay Race

There aren’t many things in this world as undeniable as this: kids love animals, and they love to be silly. If this describes the children at your center, we’ve got a game for you!

How to play animal relay race:

Line up teams of children for a relay race and assign each group an animal that is distinctive in their movements. Have the children run, hop, or crawl across the space and back, tag the next child, and continue one after the other. The first team done wins. Be sure to rotate animal movements between each group.

Suggested animals:

• Kangaroos
• Bunnies
• Turtles
• Horses
• Penguins
• Frogs
• Geese

Extend the fun:

Move is a playful introduction to motion in the animal kingdom that invites young readers to guess some of the unusual ways that animals get around. (from the publisher)

Did your critters have a blast hopping, waddling, and galloping around? Keep the good times on the move with a coordinating picture book and snack. For a snack, we recommend some “rabbit food” such as this fresh carrot salad. Our favorite books for animal moves are From Head to Toe By the beloved Eric Carle and Move! By Robin Page and Steve Jenkins, an educational book about animal movements.

Giraffes can bend their necks, monkeys can wave their hands, and donkeys can kick their legs. And so can you! Throughout this interactive book, the animals of From Head to Toe invite young readers to copy their antics as they play. (from the publisher)

If you happen to capture any incredible “wildlife” footage during your animal relay race, send it our way! We love to see you and your kids having fun. Email us at nca@cacfp.org or reach out on social media @NationalCACFP