My Little Zoo: Color and Trace Book – Free Printable Workbook (PDF)
A free 40-page workbook with 28 farm, zoo, forest and ocean animals to color and trace, from cow, pig and duck to elephant, lion and whale. Each animal has a picture to color, a dotted word to trace twice, an empty line to write it alone and a fun fact to read together. Seven activity pages, an answer key and a certificate finish the book. Download the PDF in US Letter or A4 and print it at home or in class.
Download My Little Zoo: Color and Trace Book
- 40 pages for ages 3–5
- Free for home and classroom use, with no sign-up or email address
- Two PDF files: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) and A4
- Prints in black and white or in color
Print at 100% (Actual size). Choose US Letter in the United States and Canada, and A4 almost everywhere else. How to print a workbook
Choose this book for animals, tracing and games
My Little Zoo works one animal at a time: say its name, color the picture, trace the dotted word twice, write it alone on the empty line and read the fun fact together. When the 28 animals are done, seven activity pages let your child review what they learned, and the answer key on page 39 makes checking quick. If you would rather trace the animal picture as well as the word, compare the other animal workbook before printing.
Compare with: Animals Tracing and Coloring Workbook · Animals Tracing and Coloring Book
Who this workbook is for
Animals are the topic young children ask about most, so this workbook borrows that interest and turns it into handwriting practice. It is for ages 3 to 5: younger children can color the picture and trace the big dotted word, while older ones write the name on the empty line, read the fun fact and finish the word and counting games.
The animals start on the farm, move on to the zoo and the forest and end in the water, which makes natural conversations about where each animal lives. The book works well beside the Fruits and Vegetables Tracing and Coloring Book, which also pairs coloring with word tracing, this time for food words, and for beginning readers the CVC Words Workbook has short words such as cat, dog, pig and hen with their own pictures.
If you would like your child to trace the animal picture itself, try the Animals Tracing and Coloring Workbook, which has 34 animals in five groups.
What is inside My Little Zoo: Color and Trace Book
The workbook has 40 pages. Pages 2 to 39 are numbered in the bottom corner, and the contents page (page 3) lists every animal with its page number, so you can print one section at a time.
| Pages | Section | Number of pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Cover, a page for parents and teachers, and the contents | 3 |
| 4–13 | Farm and pet animals | 10 |
| 14–21 | Zoo and wild animals | 8 |
| 22–27 | Forest animals | 6 |
| 28–31 | Animals that swim | 4 |
| 32–38 | Fun activities | 7 |
| 39 | Answer keys | 1 |
| 40 | Certificate of achievement | 1 |
Find an animal by page
Want to print just one animal, such as the elephant or the penguin? Use this list to find its page.
| Section | Animals and page numbers |
|---|---|
| Farm and pet animals | Cow 4, Horse 5, Pig 6, Sheep 7, Goat 8, Chicken 9, Duck 10, Cat 11, Dog 12, Rabbit 13 |
| Zoo and wild animals | Elephant 14, Giraffe 15, Lion 16, Tiger 17, Zebra 18, Monkey 19, Bear 20, Kangaroo 21 |
| Forest animals | Deer 22, Fox 23, Wolf 24, Raccoon 25, Squirrel 26, Owl 27 |
| Animals that swim | Penguin 28, Dolphin 29, Whale 30, Turtle 31 |
Farm and Pet Animals (pages 4–13)
Ten familiar animals: cow, horse, pig, sheep, goat, chicken, duck, cat, dog and rabbit. Every animal page has a big picture to color, the word in dotted letters twice to trace, an empty line to write it alone and a fun fact at the bottom. Short names such as cow, pig, cat and dog make this the best section to begin with.
Zoo and Wild Animals (pages 14–21)
Eight bigger animals: elephant, giraffe, lion, tiger, zebra, monkey, bear and kangaroo. Elephant, giraffe and kangaroo are long words, so they suit children who are already comfortable with the first ten pages.
Forest Animals (pages 22–27)
Six animals of woods and fields: deer, fox, wolf, raccoon, squirrel and owl. Raccoon and squirrel both have double letters, which is a nice thing to point out while your child traces them.
Animals That Swim (pages 28–31)
Four animals that live in or near the water: penguin, dolphin, whale and turtle. A penguin is a bird that swims, a dolphin and a whale are mammals and a turtle is a reptile, so the fun facts lead naturally into a short chat about how animals are grouped.
Fun Activities (pages 32–38)
Seven review pages. Shadow Matching (page 32) joins four animals to their shadows, and Animal Homes (page 33) matches a cow, a duck, a monkey and a bear with a barn, a pond, a tree and a cave. Animal Word Tracing (page 34) has five words to trace: cow, dog, cat, lion and tiger. Count and Color (page 35) asks children to count groups of animals, write the number and color them. Which One Is Different? (page 36) has five rows with one odd animal to circle. In the Final Test (page 37) children write the right name under each picture, using a word bank, and My Favorite Animal (page 38) is a frame to draw in with two sentences to finish.
Page 39 has the answer key and page 40 is a certificate of achievement with space for the name, the date and a parent or teacher signature.
Sample pages
A few pages from the finished workbook. The PDF is sharp enough to print at full size.
Skills your child practices
- Reading and spelling animal names
- Tracing and writing words on lined paper
- Coloring inside outlines for hand control
- Matching animals with shadows and homes
- Counting up to five and spotting the odd one out
- Reading simple fun facts together
How to use this workbook
Print a section at a time
Choose US Letter or A4 and print at 100% (Actual size). Print the farm and pet animals (pages 4–13) first and add the other pages over time. The contents page shows which page each animal is on.
Make the animal sound
Moo, oink, neigh or roar before you write the word. Sound and movement help children remember a name and make the page more fun.
Color and talk
Ask where the animal lives, what it eats and how it moves, then read the fun fact together. Let your child decide the colors, including unusual ones.
Trace, then write it alone
Start at the first dotted word and follow the letters from left to right. Trace the second copy, then write the word on the empty line without help.
Finish with the activities
The activity pages (32–38) are a good break when little hands are tired. Check the answers together on page 39 and fill in the certificate on page 40.
Sorting animals into groups
The book goes from farm to zoo, forest and water, but children enjoy sorting animals in other ways too: animals with two legs and four legs, animals that swim and animals that fly, or animals that lay eggs. A chicken, a duck, a penguin and an owl are all birds, and a whale and a dolphin are mammals, not fish. A short chat like this adds science vocabulary to the handwriting.
For children who like animals and are ready for a bit more reading, ask them to write one sentence about a favorite animal on the back of a page. The guide on Handwriting Practice at Home: How Long and How Often has simple ideas for turning practice pages into everyday writing.
Free worksheet generators to go with this workbook
These free tools make the same kind of practice. Use them to print extra pages with your own animal names and pictures.
Word Tracing
Trace any list of words, one word per line.
Animal Tracing Worksheets
Trace cat, dog, pig, cow and 16 more animal names.
Shadow Matching
Join each picture to its shadow: 4 to 10 pairs.
Picture Matching
Match identical pictures or things that go together.
Visual Discrimination
Spot the odd one out, find the match, same or different.
Beginning Sounds
Picture questions: which picture starts with B?
Coloring Pages
Animals, birds, fruits, vehicles and more: print 1, 2 or 4 pictures per page.
Guides for parents and teachers
Shadow Matching Activities for Preschoolers
What shadow matching is, the skills it builds and eight easy shadow matching activities for preschoolers, from printable sheets to flashlight play.
How to Teach Syllables to Preschool and Kindergarten Children
How to teach syllables to young children: the clap and chin methods, a 4-step plan from names to long words, word lists for 1 to 4 syllables and games.
Handwriting Practice at Home: How Long and How Often
Handwriting practice at home: how long and how often for ages 3 to 6, a 10-minute routine, setup tips and the signs that it is time to stop.
More free printable workbooks
Fruits and Vegetables Tracing and Coloring Book
Color 26 fruits and vegetables, trace each word and write it alone, then review with matching games.
ABC Tracing Book
Every letter A to Z with numbered stroke arrows, a picture to color and a word to trace.
CVC Words Workbook
Read, build, trace and write short a, e, i, o and u words with pictures, sound boxes and sentences.
Frequently asked questions
Is My Little Zoo: Color and Trace Book free?
Yes. It is free for home and classroom use and needs no sign-up. Print as many copies as you need for your own children or students. Please do not sell the file or host it on another website.
Which animals are in the book?
Twenty-eight animals: cow, horse, pig, sheep, goat, chicken, duck, cat, dog, rabbit, elephant, giraffe, lion, tiger, zebra, monkey, bear, kangaroo, deer, fox, wolf, raccoon, squirrel, owl, penguin, dolphin, whale and turtle.
Is the book only for preschoolers?
The book is made for ages 3 to 5. Younger children can color the pictures and trace the big dotted words, while older children write on the empty lines, read the fun facts and play the review games. Older children who are learning English can also use the book to practice animal vocabulary.
My child loves one animal that is not included. What can I do?
Use our word tracing worksheets to make a tracing page for any animal name, and let your child draw the picture in the space above the lines.
Can I print only one section?
Yes. Open the PDF, choose a page range in the print window and print only the pages you need. The contents page shows the page number of every animal, and the activity pages are 32 to 38.
Does the book have an answer key and a certificate?
Yes. Page 39 shows the answers for the shadow matching, animal homes, counting, odd-one-out and final test pages, and page 40 is a certificate of achievement to fill in when your child finishes the book.
Does every animal have a fun fact?
Yes. Each of the 28 animal pages ends with a short fun fact to read together, for example that cows give us milk or that every zebra has its own pattern of stripes.
Should I print the US Letter or the A4 file?
Choose US Letter in the United States and Canada and A4 almost everywhere else. Both files have the same 40 pages, and both should be printed at 100% (Actual size).
How is it different from the other animal workbooks?
The Animals Tracing and Coloring Workbook has 40 pages and 34 animals, and each animal has a dotted picture to trace as well as a picture to color. My Little Zoo has a ready-made outline to color on each page, a dotted word to trace twice and one line to write it alone, and it adds seven activity pages: shadow matching, animal homes, word tracing, counting, odd one out, a final test and a draw-your-favorite-animal page. The Animals Tracing and Coloring Book has 37 pages and groups 28 animals into farm and pets, garden creatures and wild and water animals.