Discover fun ways to celebrate National Pet Day with your furry family members! This paw-some holiday is all about spending time with your pets, learning how to care for animals, and supporting animal shelters and pet adoption. On April 11th, try one or more of these fun pet activities with children. These ideas will help children learn about the responsibility of pet ownership. Kids will also build compassion for animals, as they learn about animal shelters and give back to support pet adoption. Use this time to reflect on how our furry friends impact our lives. Pets provide unconditional love and joy. Have fun on National Pet Day and enjoy these activities with kids.
10 National Pet Day Activities
Take your pet for a walk.
Improve your pet’s health and happiness by taking them on a nice walk outside. This National Pet Day activity is perfect for the whole family. Try giving children the leash so they can learn how to walk their pet. Teaching a child to walk their dog is a great way to teach the child to be responsible for their pet.
Have kids take a bath with their pet.
Splish splash in the water with your beloved pet and play with water toys! Little ones and their furry family members will love playing in the water. This is a great bonding activity for children and pets. It’s also a perfect way to clean your child and pet at the same time!
Adopt a pet.
This holiday may be the perfect time to finally adopt a pet from a shelter! Before you make this important decision, consider what type of pet will best suit your family. Once you’ve decided, find your pet from a local shelter and give it a much-deserved fur-ever home!
One way to put your newly adopted pet at ease is to read to it. Many shelters have reading programs, where children can read softly to animals. The animals are comforted and soothed by the child’s voice, and the child is able to practice reading. To celebrate your new pet dog or cat, create a personalized book just for the pet and your family! The custom books If My Dog Could Talk and If My Cat Could Talk are perfect pet gifts to commemorate the adoption and puts your new pet into the story! You can read to your adopted pet every night and help it adjust to a new home. As you take photos of your pet on adoption day, preserve those memories with a Personalized Dog Puzzle or Cat Puzzle. You can upload up to 5 photos of your pet and then put together the puzzle as a family.
Donate to a local animal shelter.
Support pet adoption by donating to your local animal shelter. Aside from donating money, you can also donate supplies like pet food, toys, blankets and beds, and cleaning supplies. Because of your kind donations, these shelters can provide greater comfort and care for the animals.
Create an obstacle course race for kids and pets.
Construct a fun course for your kids and pets to race each other around the house! You can also set up obstacles in the backyard, provided you have a fenced area for animals to run around safely. Arrange pillows on the floor for children to jump on, create a blanket pile for them to jump into, and set up blanket forts that they have to crawl through.
Learn about different types of pets.
Teach children about types of common pets and the sounds they make with a matching card game. For this game, you’ll match the animal to their sound. Create animal cards and sound cards with words on them like “meow”, “bark”, “chirp”, and so on. Children will match the bird to “chirp” and the cat to “meow.” This kids’ learning activity will help children learn household pet names and become more familiar with animals.
Build a camping fort inside for children and pets.
Pretend you’re camping and build a blanket fort that your child and pet can play in. Through imaginative play, children and pets can build a strong bond. Animals provide extra love, support, and comfort. A pet dog or cat can offer comfort when a child is upset or stressed.
By playing together, children and pets can build a beautiful friendship.
Teach your pet new tricks.
Children can teach their pets new tricks—with the help of parents. Training can deepen the bond between child and pet. Teach your bunny to hop through a hoop or your dog to roll over! National Pet Day is the perfect time to teach animals new skills.
Craft an imaginary pet.
If you don’t currently have a pet, craft your own! Create a handmade plush dog that kids can cuddle. Make a bunny from a sock and cover in soft cotton swabs. Children can practice having a pet with their handmade creation. They can pretend to feed, bathe, and walk their pet. If you are considering adopting an animal, this could be a good first step to teach children how to care for an animal.
