Kindergarten Gorilla Activities

Kindergartners can learn about gorillas with fun activities.

There are multitudes of classroom activities that make learning about gorillas fun and interesting for kindergartners. Complete these activities, which range from quick and quiet to active and intensive, inside or outside a classroom setting. Depending on the classroom atmosphere you want to maintain, carry out these activities in groups, as a class or individuals.

Flashcards

Flashcards are an effective visual learning tool that aid in memory retention. To make flashcards fun for kindergartners, have them make up their own cards that they can present to the class. Students can be divided into groups and given characteristics. For example, the students can write on one side of a card, "What do gorillas eat?" and have the foods listed on the other side. They can decorate their own cards and let classmates guess the answers.

Printouts

Find educational printouts on various websites, such as Enchanted Learning or Milkshake Five, and copy and distribute them to the class. Find a picture or drawing of a gorilla that has places for students to label body parts like the head, arms and legs. When they are finished labeling, they can color the picture. This is a quick activity for kindergartners that gets them familiar with what a gorilla looks like and how a gorilla's body is similar to a person's body.

Learn About A Gorilla

There are many stories online about rescued gorillas. Many of these stories are updated periodically so that once you introduce a story to your students, you can go back and check the gorilla's current status. Students can learn about where the gorilla came from, where it lives now and what it eats. Websites like Koko.org are dedicated to gorilla education and have teaching materials available.

Make Up a Story

Let your students make up a story about a gorilla. It can be finished as a class where students can fill in the blanks of the story by making up where the gorilla lives, what its name is, who his family is and what his adventure will be.

Make Some Noise

Have your students make gorilla sounds. This is a fun, but loud activity that you can do inside, but it would be less disturbing to your neighboring classrooms if you have the opportunity to take your students outside. If you prefer to not have your students make noise, have them listen to examples on websites that offer gorilla sounds.

Field Trip

Take a field trip to your local zoo and let your students see an actual gorilla. The students will have the opportunity to ask questions to gorilla experts and see how gorillas are taken care of in a zoo environment.

References

• Enchanted Learning: All About Gorillas
• The Gorilla Foundation:Teachers Section
• Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe:Sounds of Mountain Gorillas

Resources

• Enchanted Learning: Gorilla
• Milkshake: Gorilla Colour In