Copyright © Dogwood Pack Ltd 2022
Use of the games and activities on this website are free for personal use or for use as a group facilitator. If the latter, reference should be made to the source. None of the downloads should be sold or transmitted in any way without our prior permission.
Special thanks to GABBY ALBA for recording and mixing the track.
Sing along with this recorded song and written words. One version is with a singer, to hear the song and the other is for children to sing along with. You can find a full music sheet in our book Dogwood Tales - Finding a Family.
The song is great to use for grouping children in fours or for lining them up to go to a snack table. Line them up in character. Another activity is using the song as a calling game for physical movements. For example a slow tiptoe, winding and sniffing her way around Twinkle Toes, a stomping Thunder Paws, a jumping Sweet Feet and running fast on the spot for Jet Pads. Making up some actions to represent the animals in the song are great for tots as they are moving to the music and becoming totally immersed in the song and starting to hear rhyming words.
Download the image and print on light to midweight white card for best end results. Cut out all the individual pieces, body, tail and ears and colour in as you like. You can also make the tail and the ears look more furry by snipping along the small lines. Fold the main body on the creases, middle, sides and neck. Next fold the tab on the bottom of the ears and place either side of the neck fold. Finally stick the tail in place under the main body. To stick you can use a paper glue stick or double sided tape for best results.
All of the animals love a snack and one of those snacks is their biscuit shapes. This is a game of identifying and matching the shaped biscuit to it's place on the plate. Print out enough biscuit sheets and plate sheets to allow for each child playing to collect a full plate. Print on medium to heavy weight white card for durability. Cut out the plate shapes and each individual biscuit shape or a square around each biscuit if easier.
To play, sit in a circle and pass a bag full of biscuits round from person to person. In front of each child should be a collection plate. When the bag is passed to each child, they should select one biscuit from the bag without looking. If the biscuit they select matches a missing biscuit on their plate they can place it on top of the correct shape. If they already have that one, they have to put it back in and pass the bag on. Continue passing the bag around until every one had a full plate of matching biscuit shapes. This can be played in smaller groups if there are too many to play as a whole group timewise.
Print the dice onto mid to heavy weight white card. Cut around the outer shape and fold all the internal lines until you have a cube formed. Tuck in tabs and sellotape along all joints to make your dice.
To play, either have a central caller or pass the dice around the group so each one takes a turn of throwing and calling. When the dice is thrown the topmost side directions are called out. For example - stomp like Thunder Paws. All children can do the actions. If the dice lands with a blank image on the top, the caller can call out whatever action they like, for example, touch your toes. Lots of fun exercise and co-ordination of movements to enjoy.
Follow the Track Action Dice (pdf)
DownloadThe animals all love to play with balls, they chase them and roll them and they have a whole selection of different ones to play with. Print off the animal figures and the colour selector cards onto mid weight white card. Cut or all the figures and coloured blocks into rectagular cards.
To play give each child involved an animal figure card and ensure there is one of each ball colour. If there aren't enough children give them more than one figure, with two different coloured balls. Sit in a circle with a caller in the middle. The caller should have a ball to play the game and a stack of the colour block cards. They will hold up one card at a time, show it to the children and ask whose animal has that particular coloured ball. If one child has it they roll the ball to them then they roll it back to the center. If two have the same colour the ball is rolled to one, then they roll it to the second and then they roll it back to the center for the caller to pick another card and so forth. This game is to involve the children in a fun activity while learning to identify different colours and to see the name of the word written
For a more complex game, print out the ball game animal sheet with coloured and patterned balls and give one to each child. Also print out the colour selector cards for colour and pattern ball game and the pattern selector cards for the colour and pattern ball game. These can be all mixed together so that the caller picks out either a colour or pattern card. If a child has a ball with either the pattern or colour on their ball they will again play roll the ball. In this game they have two things to identify in their card and have more opportunities to play.
A great fun activity for your child is to dress up and to experience becoming a very different character. With these printable masks you can actually become one of the Dogwood Tales animals, act like them and make up fun tales that they would be part of. Friends or family can play different parts in the story and see what kind of stories they can think of for everyone to join in.
Download and print the masks on white card for best results. Cut out along the outlines and cut on the internal dotted lines to create snouts, eye holes and side holes to thread string through. Alternatively you can print the masks out on white paper and then stick this onto an old cereal box or similar for strength. Once cut out colour the masks in as you like and finally tie string or ribbon through the holes. You can tie on one side of the mask, measure around your child's head and tie through the other hole and you will have a mask to slip on and off easily.
Have fun with your story telling and acting!
Download and print on white card or paper. Fill in the blank cards with your own drawings of pairs, for example pairs of your friends faces, pairs of shoes, pairs of your own pet's face etc. Cut out each image following the black lines. Now turn all the image cards face down and mix them all around. Take turn around to turn over 2 cards. If they match you can keep the matched pair beside you and take another turn. If they don't you must turn them back over to face down and the next player takes a turn. This is a great game to boost memory skills as all cards remain in the same position face down until matched. Therefore, the more you remember the matching cards positions, the more pairs you gain. Whoever gains most pairs wins the game.
This is a game of throwing/pinging and careful aiming, where you have to try to fill the dog bowl with treats.
Download and print the two printable sheets onto light or medium weight white card. Cut around each individual biscuit and each person playing gets a stack of 1 biscuit type to play with. Use sellotape to stick a penny on the underside of the biscuit to help weigh it down.
To play take turn in aiming for the bowl by tossing the biscuits from above or by pinging them along the piece of card the bowl is printed on. If the biscuit lands anywhere in the bowl, within the thin, black outer line, you get 1 point for that throw. If your aim is even better and you land within the thick, black inner line you get 2 points for that throw. Make a note of all your points then add them up to see who managed to get the most into the bowl.
You have made some dogs very happy if you got some in!
What can be the most useful thing for a book lover like yourself? A handy dog or cat tongue to help you find the correct page between reading times! Twinkle, Thunder, Sweet and Jet love licking and love to help. To use, cut out around the rectangle lines or around each dog and tongue and colour in the blank ones. Can you think of any other ways to use your licky dog and cat tongues?
Our dogs love to play 'fetch' with a ball, soft toy or any other dog toy. This is a game where you also can fetch things at home or in class. Download the three pages of letters and cut them out around the black line. There is a capital letter and a small letter version on each card and together they make up the whole of the alphabet. This game is best played with a child alongside an adult and can be played with other pairs of adult and child.
To play, lay all cards face down on the table or floor. If playing with others, take turns in turning over a letter. If there is only 1 child and adult, just turn over one card at a time then with the adult try to find an object nearby, that begins with that letter, to 'Fetch' back to the table/floor. To do this you should only bring back items that are safe or suitable to do so, otherwise just reference it. Alternatively you can search for the same letter in the words in our books or in your other books and read out the word that hosts the letter selected. This is great for making the link between alphabet and how it forms words. See how many letters your can complete, some will be very difficult or possibly impossible!
Another way to use the letters is to mix them up face up then work your way through the alphabet, find each next next card in the alphabet and place them in a row next to each other in alphabetical order. For a further challenge on this theme, create a grid of 26 blank spaces the same size as the cards. Mix all the cards up and place face down. Take turns in turning them over. Use the blank grid to place your card in it's proper place in the alphabet. To do this will mean counting through the alphabet grid saying the alphabet out loud until you find the correct space for your letters.
How many colours can our see around you? Some people see colours differently from how most others see them and dogs see them even more differently. A dog can only see shades of blue, yellow and greys, but that's not a problem for them as their noses are much more important. They can build a picture in their heads and remember it by sniffing it instead of seeing it. This is how Twinkle Toes remembers places she has been or people and other animals she knows.
How many different colours did you see around you? Can you name them all?
Colouring in is such a fun thing to do so here we have a game that you can play to help you colour in a picture.
Download the colour blocks page and a picture page onto white card or paper. Cut out the colour blocks, mix them up and stack them colour side down. Turn over the top block and see what number is written next to the colour. Find that number on the picture and colour in that section, with crayons or similar, using the colour you turned over. You can use different shades of that colour if you have it, but try to stick to the colour on the card. Carry on turning over the blocks until you have a completed, beautiful and colourful picture.
Also here is a couple of colour theory sheets, it isn't nearly as scary as it sounds, it is fun and almost magical to test out.
Enjoy all the colours that you can see and make!
In the Tale of Sweet Feet there were lots of cats to choose from, with different types of hair - Black or white, straight or striped, short or long or thick. Use the pages here to practice different types of lines, shapes and patterns. You can practice by drawing ontop of a printed out sheet and then draw them again on a separate piece of paper. Once you have many different drawing skills practiced you can put some of them together to make completed drawings. What will you draw with them all?
Twinkle, Thunder, Sweet and Jet have so many stories to tell about their antics and adventures with each other.
Use the finger puppet templates below to make up your own stories. Where are they, what are they doing there? Who is the story about, is it mainly one of them or two of them or all of them? How will they act with each other? Will they being helpful, naughty, funny, happy, sad or do you have your own ideas about how they are behaving?
The figures below are best printed onto light/midweight white card or printable canvas for a longer lasting puppet. Cut out around the figures or cut with a more simple outline shape if easier. Colour in the figures as you like, even as rainbows if you want! Maybe the colouring in could reflect the story you want to tell, for example, they might be wearing swimming costumes if they are at the beach. Next make a ring out of paper or light card long enough for a finger or two to fit in. This will be how you hold the puppets. Use the idea on the sheet below to see how to ensure the paper ring doesn't cut into any little fingers by accident. Selotape the ring to the size you need then use sticky tape or double sided tape to stick the ring on the back of the coloured in puppet.
Have fun and help the animals create lots of new stories and adventures.
The animals went for a long walk and now can't find their way home.
To help them get home download and print all the sections of the game below and print onto light to medium weight white card. Cut out the 4 rectangular shapes then cut out each animal around the black outer lines and fold from corner join to corner join to make a cuboid animal counter. Turn down the two sides and the head and turn up the tail to handle the counter. Cut out the dice around the outside black line and make a fold on all the inside lines to form a cube. Fold in the tabs and stick the cube together with paper glue or sellotape.
Now you are ready to play! Take turns to throw the dice and follow the instructions on top to move your character back home, following their paw steps on the board. First back to their kennel wins the game.
All the animals love a trip to the beach and the dogs love to run and run until they are dizzy. Help them to find their way to the sea to cool down by following the path of footprints.
Download and print the beach board onto light or medium weight white card. Next download and print the dice and counters on similar card. Finally download and print off all the cards which relate to each of the stories in the book. Cut out the dice along the outer line, fold on inside lines and stick together to make a cube. Cut out one of each of the four character counters around the black line (there are 4 spare incase they get lost or damaged). Finally cut out each of the rectangular cards, mix and stack in piles that relate to the same story.
To play, each player must choose a counter with a different animal, 4 in total can play. Select one of the piles of cards and place picture down next to the board. Each player takes a turn to throw the dice and to follow the instructions on the top side. Follow all the footprints from 1 to 66. If you land on a bone when you take your turn you must select a card from the top of the pile. On it is a question related to a story. You must answer the question correctly to be able to follow the instructions written on the bone. If you are lucky enough to get a bone that says 'Get out of hole' and get the question correct, you can keep it for any time you might land on a hole that a dog has dug. If you have this card and land on a hole you can use it once and do not need to tunnel back to the start. Once any of the bone cards have been used they should be returned to the bottom of the pack.
The first person to get their dog to the sea to cool down is the winner. You do not need the exact number on a throw to enter the sea, as long as you dip your hot paws on number 66 you can swim right on in and win the game.
To The Rescue cards for Bones and Tunnels (pdf)
DownloadI Met Three Geese cards for Bones and Tunnels (pdf)
DownloadI Sleep cards for Bones and Tunnels (pdf)
DownloadI'm so excited cards for Bones and Tunnels (pdf)
DownloadBones and Tunnels Board (pdf)
DownloadBones and Tunnels dice and counters (pdf)
DownloadSweet Feet has so many favourite things: he loves his dog friends, his toys, his special sleeping spots and adventures!
The aim of this game it to collect and categorise his favourite things.
Print all the sheets below on white light to midweight card.
For the simple categories game only use the 2 image sheets: toys and sleeping spots as well as adventures and friends. Also print out the diamond collectors boards. There are 4 boards in total but the game can be played from 2 to 4 players. Cut out individually all the diamonds with images but only cut around the large diamond with 4 inside for the collectors board.
Lay out all the picture cards face down and mix around. Keep all face down until you start playing the game. To play, decide which of the 4 categories you want to collect then take turns in turning over a card, if the card is part of your category then place it on your board until your board has 4 different cards from that category on it. If the card is a repeat of one you have already or is not one from your category, turn it back face down in the same spot. This makes it a memory game as you must try to remember where you saw the cards you need that someone else rejected. Who ever is first to fill their board wins the game.
For older children print out the 2 image sheets and 1 sheet with blank diamonds and SWAPs, then cut out all individual pieces. Cut out the quantity of collectors boards you need for up to 4 players. For an extra challenge print out 2 of the blank diamonds and SWAP sheets. If there are only 2 players another challenge is to use and fill 2 boards each.
To play lay all the cards image or written side down, along with the blank ones and mix them around on a table or floor.
Take turns to turn over 1 card. This first card will start your collection choice, for example if you turn over a 'Toy' card, you will aim to collect 4 different 'Toy' cards to place on your board. If you turn over a blank card, turn it back over and wait till the next turn to start your collection. If you turn over a SWAP, place it back down and wait till your next turn to start your collection. It might be that more than one person turns over a first 'Toy' card and you can decide if you want to compete with the other person that is collecting 'Toys' or you can place that image card, image up, next to your board and wait until you uncover a free category on your next turn.
Continue to take turns in turning over a card, if it is blank turn it back over, if it is one of the other cards from your category place it on your board any other card you place beside the board image up. As soon as you have started a collection on your board and you turn over a SWAP card, you can decide to select a card from another player that will benefit you and give them one of yours in return. The other person must accept what card you wish to swap. This can be taken from their board or the spare unused ones next to the board. Once used, place the SWAP card back in the position you took it from face down.
At any point in the game you can change the category you are collecting, but it is best to only do this if you have more than one of a paticular category.
This is a game of memory, strategy and cunning, just like a cat!
Life is Sweet Categories Game ( toys and sleeping spots) (pdf)
DownloadLife is Sweet Categories Game (adventures and friends).docx (pdf)
DownloadLife is Sweet Categories game (blank diamonds) (pdf)
DownloadLife is Sweet Categories Game blank and SWAP.docx (pdf)
DownloadLife is Sweet Categories Game collection board (pdf)
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