Better Parenting
中文Download

Animal Hunter

Find the small animals hidden in every corner of the house and become the most powerful animal hunter!

  • 2 years
  • Quick prep
  • At home
  • About 15 minutes
Focus
Download printable activity (PDF)Opens in a new tab

Developmental benefits

  • Cognitive：Remembering where each toy animal was hidden and searching for it gives your child practice retrieving location information during play.
  • Language：Naming the hidden animals as you search helps your child understand and use more animal words.

Preparation

What You’ll Need

  1. 1

    Stuffed animals

  2. 2

    a large box

Step 1

The Animals Escape

Hide the animal toys around the room with a small part of each one still visible. Ask your child to close their eyes and count while you hide them, then stop counting and begin the hunt.

What to notice

  • Waits until the counting ends before starting Attending and Understanding
  • Runs to different parts of the room while searching for animals Gross Motor

Tips

  • Counting here is a way to practice waiting, so accuracy is not important. Notice and affirm each time your baby waits.
  • Hide the animal figures only in places your baby can search safely.

Step 2

Find the Animals

Search the room together. It is common for a child this age to overlook an object even when part of it is visible, so offer a simple location or feature clue when needed.

What to notice

  • Lifts the curtain and finds the little animal Memory
  • Copies your pronunciation and names the animal Vocabulary

Tips

  • Notice the searching effort: “You’re looking so carefully!”
  • After finding an animal, talk about its name, features, and habits.

Step 3

Follow the Animal List

Repeat the game with an animal list. Name the animals one at a time in list order and let your baby search for each matching toy.

What to notice

  • Finds the little animals in sequence with your prompts Cognitive Self-Regulation (Executive Functioning)
  • Uses location words such as “above” and “below” to describe a figure’s position Vocabulary

Tips

  • If needed, remind your baby to look for the animals in list order.
  • Add an animal picture or photo beside each list item so your baby can recognize what to find.
  • Print a picture of the doll and invite your baby to use it as a visual clue while searching.

Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026