Going On a Lion Hunt Printable Game

COVID in the US seems to be letting up, restrictions have been loosened, and to top it all off, the weather is warming up. With all this being outside at parks and public spaces is possible again! Yay! Nothing makes parenting two energetic toddlers easier than being outside where they can climb, play in the dirt, and not destroy the house! However, there are plenty of rainy days and sick days where we’re stuck back in the house. This Going on a Lion Hunt Printable Game is perfect for keeping the kids active and engaged on a rainy indoor day. 

Printable Nursery Rhyme Game for Teaching Numbers and Letters

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme Going on a Lion Hunt? I hadn’t heard that version until I had kids. When I was young it was Going on a Bear Hunt. Whatever version you’re used to, this game helps you set up a scavenger hunt for your kids.

Follow the paw prints to go across tall grass, a river, and into a cave to find the Lion or Bear! You can use this game to help your children count, follow directions, pretend play, and build a lion or bear puzzle at the end!

I’ve created paw prints with numbers and paw prints without so you can just follow the prints, count the printed, use dice to add or subtract to the paws, or whatever your child is ready for.

Setup Recommendations

I used packing tape to secure the paws to the floor before my little one’s woke up from their afternoon nap. As they walked into the living room they noticed the trail of paw prints. We are currently learning to count to 20 so I used the number ones and had them follow along.

We turned on the song and made all the motions of going through the tall grass, over the river, and into the cave as they came up along our path. Play along with your kids and they’ll love it! At the end you can either place this Lion Puzzle or a hide a favorite stuffed animal.

If your child is more advance with number, roll a dice and have them count the number of paw prints. Create some competition between your kids, whoever gets to the lion first, wins!

You can hide the lion under the different elements and switch the paw prints around so that your kids make sure to look under the tall grass, the river, and the cave.

If you want to use the game over and over, laminate it so your little ones can step on it as much as they want. If you have a carpet get the stick on velcro and stick it to the back of the game pieces to place on the carpet. 

Scavenger Hunt and Exercise as Learning Tools

Scavenger hunts can help your child learn observational skills, build spatial awareness, and in the case of this game, learn to count or read letters. Getting them moving while doing this is great way to boost their brain!

According to the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Dr. John J. Ratey states that exercise helps your child’s brain in three ways: “First, it optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and third, it spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.”

So basically:

1. It improves your child’s alertness, ability to pay attention, and their motivation. 

I think even adults would love to improve those skills! 

2. It helps their body build pathways for new information. 

3. It creates new cells in the brain so your child can store more information. 

So, with all this in mind, here’s a free learning game printable you can use to help your child develop key skills. And. the best part, it’s perfect for bad weather and social isolation! 

The FREE Going on a Lion Hunt Printable Game comes with…

• The barrier elements of the Going on a Lion Hunt songs from Little Baby Bum and by the Kiboomers with sight words.
  • Tall Grass
  • River
  • Mud
  • Cave
  • Trees
• Path Paw Prints with number 1-20, and letters A-Z
• Blank Path Paw Prints

I hope you enjoy the free printable! Please let me know in the comment section and share what game you came up with for your kids!