Tigers are beautiful creatures that star in books, TV shows and children’s plays. In fact, The Tiger Who Came to Tea is currently showing at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket and is great for the whole family. Based on the much-loved story by Judith Kerr, it’s backed with clumsy chaos, singalong songs and plenty of interactive moments, so don’t miss out. In the meantime, here are five fun tiger learning activities to enjoy with the kids.
Find pictures of tigers in books or on the internet and draw the outline of this magnificent creature onto a large piece of craft paper. Next, flick through magazines and cut out different shades of paper that roughly match the image you’re working with. Stick them down within the outline, being sure to get the black stripes in the right place and create a beautiful collage.
Pretend you’re an explorer discovering tigers in their natural habitat. Research everything you can about these mighty creatures and create your very own tiger fact book. Decorate your book with tiger images cut from magazines or draw your own pictures to illustrate each fact. Think about researching where tigers live, what they hunt, how they raise their cubs, how many hours a day they sleep, which tigers are endangered, why there are white tigers - and more.
If your children love playdough, see if they can mould the shape of a realistic looking tiger. Then ask them to research a tiger’s natural habitat and craft this out of playdough too. See if they can present their ideas based on what they’ve learnt. For example, they might say something like, “this is a Bengal tiger. It lives in the forests of Asia which is why I’ve made a lot of trees.’ Before they start, encourage them to go into as much detail as possible.
Children’s shows such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea are great fun for the whole family. They can inspire the next generation of actors, so it’s well worth taking your little ones to watch a live production. Before you go, read up on tigers and think about their personality traits. What skills help them to survive in the wild? Are they strong, cunning, smart, intelligent? A bit of pre-theatre research will get you in the right mood for some roarsome entertainment. Look up ‘children’s theatre near me’ and book your tickets today.
Tell your children they’re in charge of writing you a quiz. They have to research and find the answers to ten questions before testing your knowledge. Ask them to make the questions hard so that you have to use your brain. They’ll be so interested in trying to catch you out that they won’t realise how much they’re learning along the way.
Get your tickets to The Tiger Who Came to Tea. It really is one of the best children’s shows of the summer.