What Are Baby Animals Called?

What Are Baby Animals Called?

Discover the special names for baby animals in this musical learning adventure. Children meet puppies, kittens, piglets, calves, chicks, lambs and foals while practising animal recognition, listening and early vocabulary. Repetition and playful printable activities help children connect adult animals with their young, count baby animals and explore simple patterns.

Ages 2–5 15 minutes Download Lesson Plan (pdf)

Learning objectives

  • Recognise familiar adult animals and their young
  • Learn and recall the names puppy, kitten, piglet, calf, chick, lamb and foal
  • Develop listening and memory through repeated song lyrics
  • Build early vocabulary by naming animals and describing them
  • Practise matching, counting or pattern recognition through a selected activity
  • Develop fine motor control through tracing, colouring or drawing

What you'll need

  • Screen or device to play the "What Are Baby Animals Called?" video
  • "What Are Baby Animals Called?" activity pack PDF
  • Pencils or crayons
  • Optional pictures or toy figures of adult and baby animals

Watch and sing

Watch the song together, then follow the activities below.

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Prefer streaming?

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Lesson activities

Step 1: Meet the baby animals

2 minutes

Introduce the topic by asking children whether they know the names of any baby animals. Explain that some young animals have special names. Invite children to share any names they already know, without expecting everyone to answer.

Step 2: Sing and learn the names

4 minutes

Play the "What Are Baby Animals Called?" video. Encourage children to join in with the repeated names: puppy, kitten, piglet, calf, chick, lamb and foal. Pause or repeat a short section if helpful, asking children to name the baby after hearing the adult animal. Join in with the final verse about a human baby if appropriate for the group.

Step 3: Match each animal family

3 minutes

Show pictures or name the adult animals from the song and invite children to match them to their young: dog and puppy, cat and kitten, pig and piglet, cow and calf, hen and chick, sheep and lamb, horse and foal. Offer two choices at a time for younger children and encourage older children to recall the names independently.

Step 4: Choose a baby-animal challenge

4 minutes

Choose one activity from the printable pack. Children can match adult animals to baby names, count groups of baby animals, find hidden chicks, continue an animal pattern, trace the letter P or help the lamb find its mummy through the maze. Provide support with writing and tracing as needed.

Step 5: Remember our animal families

2 minutes

Call out a few adult animals and invite children to name their young. Repeat the list of baby-animal names together or sing the chorus again. Finish by reminding children that they were babies too and celebrating the new words they have explored.

Questions to ask

  • What is a baby dog called?
  • Can you remember the name for a baby cat or a baby pig?
  • What is a baby cow called?
  • Can you match a lamb to its mummy sheep?
  • Which baby-animal name was easiest for you to remember?
  • Were you a baby once too?

Finish together

Children have explored the special names for seven baby animals and practised connecting young animals with their parents. Repeated singing, matching and discussion support early vocabulary and memory, while a selected printable activity provides additional practice with counting, patterns or fine motor skills.

Free printable activity pack

Continue the lesson with the matching activity sheets.

Download activity pack (pdf) Explore all activity packs