• Puppets. Give your child an old sock and let her draw an animal face on the closed end. Or have her glue shapes on the bottom of a lunch-size paper bag to make an animal.
• Masks. Provide your child with a paper plate and drawing supplies. Have him draw an animal’s face on the plate, and help him cut out the eyes. Then attach a stick to the bottom of the plate.
• Clay models. Suggest that your child use modeling clay to create animal figures. Perch them on top of sticks and use them like puppets.

Once your child has completed one of these projects, encourage her to play creatively with the animals she made. Here are some ideas:

• Talk about the animals’ habits and where they live.
• Pretend to be the animals. What sounds do they make? How do they walk?
• Tell stories about the animals. Make up tales about their lives.

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