Better Parenting
中文Download

Animal Portraits

The animals have disappeared from their portrait book. Help your child observe each animal friend and draw them back, one page at a time.

  • 3½ years
  • Some prep
  • At home
  • About 30 minutes
Focus
Download printable activity (PDF)Opens in a new tab

Developmental benefits

  • Movement：Drawing, tracing, and coloring give your child practice holding a drawing tool and controlling small hand movements.
  • Cognitive：Exploring an animal’s distinctive features through sight and touch introduces simple ways of observing and recording like a young scientist.

Preparation

What You’ll Need

  1. 1

    Animal figurines

  2. 2

    crayons or markers

  3. 3

    several sheets of white paper

  4. 4

    a stapler. Write one animal name on each page and staple the pages together to make a book

Step 1

The Animals Are Missing!

Oh no—the animal portraits are gone! Ask your child to help draw each animal back on the page with its name. Encourage them to look at the written words and work out which animals belong in the book.

What to notice

  • Asks you what a written word says when they do not recognize it Print and Alphabet Knowledge
  • Offers to help after hearing your request Relationships with Adults

Tips

  • If “portrait” is unfamiliar, show your child an animal picture or photo and explain: “A portrait is a picture that shows what someone or something looks like.”
  • Choose animal toys your child loves, especially animal “friends” they have named, to make the mission more engaging.
  • Your child does not need to read the words independently. The goal is to show that print carries meaning and can give us information.
  • If a word is unfamiliar, read it aloud and explain, “These letters tell us which animal to draw here.”

Step 2

Look Closely, Then Draw

Invite your child to draw the first animal. Let them look and touch before asking open-ended questions about its distinctive features. Follow their answers with another question or a little help as they build the portrait step by step.

What to notice

  • Looks carefully at the different parts of a bird’s body Scientific Inquiry
  • Holds a drawing tool with their fingers instead of gripping it in a fist Fine Motor

Tips

  • Help your child observe in a simple order, such as from the whole animal to smaller parts or from top to bottom.
  • Let your child try drawing first. If they ask for help, offer a simple shape as a visual hint.

Step 3

The Animals Are Back!

The bird is back! Turn to the other blank pages and invite your child to keep drawing and coloring the missing animals. When the book is complete, look through it together and thank your child for helping.

What to notice

  • Draws small circles for the panda’s eyes Fine Motor
  • Shows you the completed animal portrait book Sense of Identity and Belonging

Tips

  • You do not have to draw the pages in order. Let your child choose which animal to bring back next.
  • As your child becomes more comfortable, offer less help and leave more room for them to observe, think, and draw. Stay nearby and give a hint only when needed.
  • Finish by designing a cover for the animal portrait book so your child has another chance to draw and decorate.

Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026