Animal Line-up Kids Activity

The Animal Line-Up. Aka: my daughter’s activity heaven.

Do you have a kid who likes to line things up? I do. She’s always done it, I hope she always does it, and this animal line-up activity was an ode to her beloved play set-ups.

RELATED: Need more quick and easy ideas? Check out my “Easy Activities” page.

My daughter is a “line-up” kid. I love it.

She likes precision.

She likes order.

She likes her toys to be meticulously lined up and the patience it takes for her to create her (often) elaborate set ups is something for the ages.

With a growing collection of small sized animal toys (ranging from fancy to Paw Patrols to Hatchimals), she had a ball with this massive animal line-up.

RELATED: Looking for a little more guidance each day? Check out my program: Playing Preschool.

It’s an easy activity which makes it a great one

There’s a rumor floating around early childhood that children need complicated activity.

That they need elaborate “pinterest-worthy” projects to pass the time.

They don’t.

Kids need play, and when play stalls out: they need quick and easy set-ups that can work as a sort of catalyst into play.

Play begets play.

RELATED: Have little bear toys? This rainbow line-up is too cute!

Animal line-up is one of the easiest activities to prep

I used Painter’s tape to make my animal line-up (once before I used paper and we called it a Parade).

I like the tape on the carpet idea better.

Make sure to pick the right tape for your carpet and don’t just blindly trust the internet lady.

I taped off various lines on our carpet and had my daughter (4.5) begin gathering her animals.

She ran back to me lightning quick: she wanted to play

After a morning of sometimes butting heads with her brother, this was the perfect quiet and solo activity for her.

She’s not just mindlessly lining up animals on strips of tape. Trust me – she’s doing so much more.

She’s talking to the animals, telling stories with them, making their lives and part of her life, and inviting them to be real.

This activity became her independent play.

I set up an activity. She turned it into something even better: play.

About an hour later… her little brother wanted to play with the animal line-up

So he grabbed out his trucks and started using the animal line-up tape as a road way. I’m not surprised: I set up a similar activity for him last summer. His very own “traffic jam.”

He used the tape to drive up and down the family room – again, this was an activity transitioning into so much more. Play. The highest form of learning and work that a child can do.

 It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s the best.

This is an easy activity to set up for toddlers and preschoolers alike.

It’s fabulous for their fine motor skills.

It’s great for their concentration and hand-eye coordination.

It’s everything for the play that it ALWAYS starts.

You need this activity.

Make a line-up activity for your child. Could be animals, or stuffies, or cars, and LEGO figures… the point is: line-ups are the best and this animal line-up blew it out of the water.

I can’t wait for you to make an animal line-up activity.