Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Activities

When I first read a Pete the Cat book, I was a little put off. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’m just not that cool? But over time, Pete the Cat has grown on me. My son and I really enjoy reading these sing-song books.

One of our favorite Pete the Cat books is Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. It’s a great book for teaching basic math concepts at a preschool level. Plus it’s loaded with tons of opportunity for enriched learning activities.

My son thrives on the Before Five in a Row Curriculum style of learning. Therefore, as I’ve been revamping our home preschool, one thing I’ve been doing more of is literature based units. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons was our first literature based unit outside of the Before Five in a Row Curriculum.

Can I just say that it was so much fun! My son loved it and I absolutely loved planning the activities. I want to share what we did so I can remember and so you can have some fun too!

Also, even if you don’t have the book, you can use these ideas for playing with buttons! My kids love learning with buttons.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Activities

Button Sensory Bin

I’ve really been focusing a lot on sensory bins lately, which means I, of course, had a sensory bin to go along with our story.

Our Button Sensory Bin was very simple to pull together. Just pour various buttons into a bin and let your children play! I also added counting chips and foam circles.

Color Sorting Buttons

You can sort the buttons into colored bins, onto construction paper, or use this free printable to do some color matching. We used our colored bowls from our counting bears learning set.

Number Sorting Buttons

I created these foam number mats when we rowed Corduroy. I fun activity to practice counting and number recognition.

Pattern Practice with Buttons

We created several different patterns with our buttons. Patterns haven’t been easy for my son to pick up, but these hands on activities have really helped!

Size Sorting Buttons

While we were working on patterns, I asked him to sort the orange buttons from biggest to smallest. He did a great job!

Pete the Cat Math Game

I found this idea from Buggy and Buddy. We had loads of fun with it! We played it over and over and over again.

Role Play

Using the Math game props, we role played the story together. We put four buttons on our shirt (same colors as the book), and when a button popped off, my son would remove it from his felt jacket. It was great for practicing the math concept together.

Buttons into Slotted Tin Can

To practice our fine motor skills, I had my children drop the buttons into a slotted tin can and small piggy bank. My youngest loved this! We had different size buttons, so he had to choose which bank to put the button into. It was challenging but fun for him.

Lacing Buttons

You can use shoelaces, pipe cleaners, or even spaghetti noodles. Whatever you use, work on fine motor practice with your little one!

Have you ever read a Pete the Cat book? Which one is your favorite?

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