What kid doesn’t love cuddling up to a furry friend?
This week is all about having fun with our four-pawed friends. Whether you own a cat or dog or not, all kids will be able to enjoy the activities below that revolve around the two most popular pets.
MOVE
- Go on an excursion to the Sutherland Shire Animal Shelter at Taren Point. They have a large cattery where you can
pat the cats and use toys to play with the kittens. You can also throw a ball for the dogs and offer them treats when they sit. In a couple of weeks they’re also hosting a special day where you can book to read to the cats. - If you have a pet cat or dog, try to take it on some new adventures or give it more attention than normal. Kids will find taking their pet to the park or daycare a real novelty, even if it has to be tied up.
- If you don’t have a dog, offer to walk or play with one of your neighbours’ dogs.
MAKE
- Depending on the age of your kids, you can make these origami cats and dogs together or ask them to join you to watch while you make one for them.
- Make a purrfect Bento lunch.
- Bake some delicious dog shortbread cookies for afternoon tea.
- Try making these dog biscuits for feeding to your own pooch or a friend’s dog.
PLAY
- Use whatever stuffed dogs and cats you have at home and set up a pretend animal shelter or hospital in your home
by setting out some boxes or baskets, blankets, and bowls for food and water. Make a sign for it and if you don’t have a toy vet kit then you can use a toy doctor’s kit, grab some bandages, pretend it is a shelter or just use your imagination. - If you have a dog or cat, try to think of some new ways to play with it. There are some great ideas for cats and dogs.
- If you have more than a couple of kids together at once, Cat and Mouse is an excellent game that keeps kids active.
READ
Cats and dogs are very popular book characters and you may already own plenty of books that suit this week’s theme. Some of our favourites are:
- Pig the pug by Aaron Blabey
- Spot books by Eric Hill
- Cat in the hat by Dr Seuss
- Clifford books by Norman Bridwell
- Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd
And to teach children about caring for cats and dogs try:
- My First Cat Book: Simple and Fun Ways to Care for Your Feline Friend for Kids by Angela Herlihy
- Looking after dogs and puppies by Usborne Pet Guides
LISTEN
Spotify Playlists:
Podcasts:
- The Wayward Dog (Storycasts)
- A Dog’s Nose Always Nose (Wow in the World)
- How to Talk to a Dog (Wow in the World)
- Why do Dogs have Whiskers? (But Why)
- Pets Week (Chompers)
- What do dogs say when they bark? (Every Little Thing)
WATCH
Older children may like to check out a new film arriving in cinemas this week called The Call of the Wild about a big-hearted dog called Buck, featuring Harrison Ford. 
The list of shows about cats and dogs on streaming services is endless but includes:
- How dogs got their shapes (Disney+)
- Lady and the tramp (Disney+)
- 101 Dalmatians (Disney+)
- The secret life of pets (Google Play)
- Cats and Dogs (Google Play)
- Pete the cat (Amazon Prime)
- The cat in the hat knows a lot about that (Netflix)
- 44 Cats (Netflix)
- Puss in Boots (Netflix or Stan)
- Paw Patrol (Stan or ABC)
- Wallace and Gromet (Stan)
- Bluey (ABC)
Thanks for following along with us. We’d love to see what you and your #busykids get up to this week so tag @MumsoftheShire in your Instagram photos and stories and use the hashtag #busykids.
Be sure to look out for next week’s guide and if you can’t wait until then for more ideas check out our previous Busy Kids guides.
