Animals in Spanish for kids: a memory game and ideas for home
Animals are often among the first words children want to say in a new language. They come with sounds, colors and big personalities. Here you'll find a free memory game, a short bilingual word list and ideas to keep the fun going away from the screen.
Why animals are a great place to start
Young children are drawn to animals on their own. They meet them in picture books, songs, parks and farms, and they already know the names in English. That matters: when the Spanish word shows up, your child isn't learning a new idea, just a new way to say something they already understand.
Animals can also be acted out. A child who feels shy about saying a new word will often happily moo, bark or hop like a rabbit. That kind of whole-body play makes a second language feel like a game rather than a lesson.
How our animal memory game works
The animal memory game is made for ages 3 to 5 and is free to play in the browser, no sign-up needed. It has 30 animals, and depending on the level it's played with 4, 6 or 8 pairs of cards. Each pair matches a card with the animal's picture and a card with its written name. There's no timer and no countdown, so your child can flip cards at their own pace.
On the English site, the word card shows and says the animal's name in Spanish, while the picture card says it in English. So every pair links the English word your child knows with the Spanish word you want them to hear. After each match, both names appear together, for example DOG / PERRO.
If Spanish is your home language and you'd like your child to hear only Spanish for a while, the Spanish site works too: there, both cards show and say the Spanish name, and both names still appear together after each match.
Common animals in English and Spanish
A short list goes further than a long one. Start with animals your child already sees in daily life, and add more a few at a time. The little word before each noun (el or la) is how Spanish marks masculine and feminine, and it's worth learning together with the word.
- dog: el perro
- cat: el gato
- cow: la vaca
- horse: el caballo
- pig: el cerdo (you'll also hear chancho, puerco or marrano in different countries)
- sheep: la oveja
- duck: el pato
- hen: la gallina; rooster: el gallo
- rabbit: el conejo
- fish: el pez
- bird: el pájaro
- frog: la rana
- lion: el león
- elephant: el elefante
- monkey: el mono
Screen-free ways to play with animal words
Screen games work best as a small part of the day. What your child hears in a game sticks better when it shows up again in a book, on a walk or on the living room floor.
- Sounds and names: make an animal sound and let your child guess which one it is, then say its name together in English and in Spanish.
- Picture books: while you read, point to an animal and ask, "How do we say that in Spanish?" If they don't know, just say it and keep reading.
- Sorting toy animals: split them into farm and jungle, or animals that fly and animals that swim, naming each one as it goes into its group.
- Act it out: one person moves like an animal and the other names it in both languages.
- Out and about: when you spot a dog, a duck or a bird, name it in both languages, with no quiz attached.
Pronunciation without pressure
Spanish vowels are short and clear, and they sound the same in almost every word, which makes animal names fairly friendly for beginners. A few sounds take time, like the rolled rr in perro. In much of Latin America, the ll in caballo sounds close to the English y. None of this needs to be perfect at 3 or 5.
If your child says "pero" instead of perro, you can simply answer, "Yes, el perro, the dog," and keep playing. You repeat the word the right way, you celebrate the try, and nobody feels corrected. If you're not sure how a word sounds either, say so and listen to it together in the game. That's learning too.
- A few words at a time, repeated on different days.
- Praise the attempt, not a perfect accent.
- Never ask your child to perform a word in front of others.
Related games
- Animal Memo: an animal memory game for kids, in English and SpanishAnimal memory game (ages 3 to 5): find the pairs and see each animal's name in English and Spanish.See →
- Bilingual Spanish English games for kids ages 3 to 7Bilingual games: how to use the English and Spanish versions of the site and what each game does with the two languages.See →
- Spanish learning games for kids ages 3 to 7Games for learning Spanish: games and ideas to keep Spanish part of everyday play at home.See →
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to read to play the memory game?
No. The cards have pictures and the names are spoken aloud. The written word card lets your child see how the name is spelled, but finding pairs only takes looking and remembering.
Which language does my child hear on the English site?
Both. The picture card says the animal's name in English and the word card shows and says it in Spanish. After each match, both names appear side by side, like DOG / PERRO.
What age is right for learning animal names in Spanish?
The memory game is made for ages 3 to 5, and the screen-free ideas work for older kids too. There's no exact age: every child goes at their own pace, and what matters most is that it feels like play.
Is there a time limit?
No. There's no clock and no countdown. Your child flips cards whenever they're ready and can make as many mistakes as they need.
I don't speak much Spanish. Can I still help?
Yes. You can listen to the names together in the game, repeat them and use them around the house. You don't need a perfect accent. Your company and a playful attitude count for much more.
Is the game free? Are there ads?
It's free to play in the browser with no sign-up, and there are no ads. There's no Google Analytics where the child plays; on the grown-ups' pages, only if you accept it.