Cat Themed Busy Box for Preschoolers

Many children enjoy cats as a first animal since they are such a popular family pet. My family does not have a cat but m daughter is obsessed with cats and kittens. She likes books, movies, and toys with a cat theme. Using that interest to get her learning is the basic idea for any busy box creation. A Cat-Themed Busy Box for Preschoolers perfect for any feline-loving kiddo.

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Pre Reading

These skills always begin before the letters and words. These are the skills kids need to become readers and many are learned organically from being read to and speaking with them.

Print Awareness

This is kids learning about how books are organized. Front cover, title, author, back cover, and spine. Modeling how to read the print from left to right and top to bottom is another skills learned. Here are some great print awareness building books to fit this cat themed busy box. It’s always important to include fiction and non fiction.

Fiction Cat Books

Non Fiction or Informational Cat Books

Letter Knowledge

This section of early learning is all about building the memory of letter names, shapes, and sizes. The cat ABC Flashcards will be great for reading, drilling, practicing, and playing. Create letter knowledge with the word and letter wand. Practice identifying and learning about letters when they appear in the text and anywhere in your child’s environment.

Phonemic Awareness

This preschool skill is all about learning the letter sounds. Use a strong focus on getting kids to focus on sounds, syllables, and rhyming. Learning how to hear similar begging and ending sounds as they read words is another way phonemic awareness is learned. Use the flashcards to practice the letter sounds. Grab the CVC Word Building mat to practice putting the sounds together. The cat word wall words can be used to practice beginning and ending sounds.

Pre Writing

These are skills that help kids build the ability to hold and use a pencil for drawing, writing, etc. Anything to work on the small muscles in the hands. The second part of this is learning how to form the shapes that make the letters.

Fine Motor

This is all that little detailed play with hands and fingers. If you want to learn more about Fine Motor Skills- Read here. Some Cat Themed Fine Motor Activities include puzzles, play dough, beads, stickers, manipulatives, and my trace the line worksheet.

Letter Formation

Laminating the ABC Flashcards and Word Wall Cards is great for extra use. If you laminate, finger tracing or tracing with a dry erase marker is a great way to use the Flashcards. For Kiddos who are more advanced, use the Cat Word Wall Cards to make sentences or stories about cats and kittens!

Pre Math

These are skills where kids grow their number sense- how to count and mathematically represent things using words, numbers and pictures.

Numbers and Counting

This is building a sense of knowledge, for example, what is a number, what does it mean, and how can we use it. Use the Cat # Set Flashcards to learn, practice, drill, and play. Create sets with the 10 Frame and # Line. Feed a Cat using a certain number of objects.

Addition and Subtraction

Compare, Add, and Substract are all skills that can also be introduced and learned using a 10 Frame.

Geometry and Spatial Reasoning

Use the cat tag shape flashcards to talk about the basic shapes- circle, square, triangle, rectangle, etc. Use a cat toy or flashcard to talk about and model locations- on, off, under, next to, behind, in front of, etc.

Sorting and Patterns

There are many games to play and practice these pre-math skills. Use Stamps, stickers, and other manipulatives to sort, match, measure, estimate, and create patterns.

Here are some ideas for each Learning Style.

Want to know more about your child’s learning style- Take the Quiz!

Auditory

Check out this YouTube of the Classic Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes Book. Your auditory learner will enjoy listening to the book and learning about colors with a cat theme!

Visual

Have your visual learner draw a map of your house to show places a cat would enjoy hiding. visual learners also love puzzles! The cat puzzle I listed above would be a hit!

Kinesthetic

Your Kinesthetic learner will love pretending to be a pet groomer!

Read/Write

Your read/Write Learner should check out the cat book selection. Encouraging them to copy and trace the word wall words and the letter flash cards is also a great idea!