Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Scavenger Hunt

The first time I read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons to my children we all fell in love with Litwin’s writing style and Dean’s illustrations. When I was brainstorming possible books for the Preschool Book Club Series Pete the Cat was one of the first books to come to mine. I knew it would inspire fun activities for some of our youngest book fans. My children went crazy for our Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Scavenger Hunt Activity!

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE PETE THE CAT AND HIS FOUR GROOVY BUTTONS SCAVENGER HUNT

yellow construction paper (1 piece per child)
red, green, blue and purple construction paper circles (4 circles per child)
black marker
scotch tape
copy of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT ENHANCED BY THE SCAVENGER HUNT

counting
letter recognition
1 to 1 correspondence
gross motor development
fine motor development
language development

CREATE THE PETE THE CAT AND HIS FOUR GROOVY BUTTONS SCAVENGER HUNT

Begin by creating Pete’s shirt for each child. Using a piece of yellow construction paper cut a small triangle in the top middle, draw a collar and a line down the middle. Cut out circles in red, green, blue and purple construction paper. Make 4 circles for each child, one in each color. Using a black marker draw little button holes on the circles. I also wrote each child’s first initial on the corresponding circle. This is a simple way to promote letter recognition and keep arguments to a minimum.

Create tape pillows on the back of each paper button and hide around the house or classroom.

Prior to introducing the scavenger hunt we read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. At the end of the book all of Pete’s buttons have popped off and he is left with only his belly button. “Oh no! All of Pete’s buttons are gone, but it’s all good… I’ve hidden them around the house! Each of you has to find your four groovy buttons. Look for the ones with the first letter of your name. When you find them put the buttons back on Pete’s shirt.” Give each child one of the yellow shirts. “Time to find the buttons!”

Encourage your child to place the buttons on the line. This is great for fine motor development.