Pet Activities for Kids with a FREE Printable Activity Guide

Celebrate National Pet month with tons of pet activities your kids will love. Includes a free printable activity guide!

This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.

In our family, which includes a dog, a cat, and two hermit crabs, pet month is every month. But did you know that May is actually National Pet Month? It's a great time to celebrate everything that we love about the pets in our lives, and I'm teaming up with my Family Dinner Book Club co-hosts to do just that.

Pet Activities All Month Long

These activities are perfect for families that have pets at home, but I know that's not everyone. You'll also find options for that don't require having a real dog or cat (just make sure you have some loveable stuffed animals to take their place)!

Read with your pet 

Start your pet month celebration with a trip to the library or bookstore and pick out some pet themed books. If you need inspiration, Jodie at Growing Book by Book has a huge list of books about pets right here.  You can also find my list of the best dog books for preschoolers here. For cat lovers, you can't go wrong with Pete the Cat or Splat the Cat. Check out these favorites too:

Once you have your books picked out, take time to read with your pet! This is great for both kids and pets alike - animals make wonderfully patient and nonjudgmental audiences to young readers, and kids will love sharing stories with their best friend. If you don't have a pet, a stuffed animal makes a great listener too.

Make a pet craft

Get crafty making something just for your pet!

 

If you have dogs, make them a cute DIY Dog Bandana to wear for the summer.  If you have a cat you can make him some easy cardboard roll cat toys.

Dogs and cats would both love a DIY treat jar or a pet themed picture frame.

No pet at home? Make some fun painted paw print rocks!

Pet Pretend Play

Have fun pretending with your favorite stuffed pets.

Create your own pretend play animal shelter and adopt a new "pet." You can get inspiration and printable props here!

Or set up this pretend play pet grooming salon and give all your stuffed animals a makeover.

Cooking Fun for Pets and People

Another super fun activity is to make homemade treats for your dogs and cats! Choose one of these simple homemade dog treats recipes (the dog donuts are our favorite) or make these easy homemade cat treats.

If you don't have a pet, you can still make some treats for a pet that you know or to donate to your local animal shelter. Or make these adorable pupcakes for yourself!

Be sure to check out Sarah's full pet month dinner menu here too.

Practicing Kindness

Learning to be kind to animals is one of the most important activities you can do with your family. Want some inspiration? Check out my free printable list of ways that kids can be kind to animals here.

You may also want to visit the Animal Shelter. Visiting your local animal shelter is the perfect field trip during National Pet Month. Call ahead and you may be able to arrange a special tour or find out fun kid-themed activities that they have planned.

Prepare for your trip by collecting pet supplies to donate, and by making thank you cards to give to the staff and volunteers that work hard to care for the animals.

Get the Guide

Prepare your family's pet month activities with a FREE printable guide! It includes fun pet facts, links to activities and more. Simply enter your information below to have the guide delivered right to your email.

Love this? Pin it here!