Pete the Cat & His Four Groovy Buttons Book Companion Activities
Storytime is always a favorites in the classroom and pairing it with hands-on activities is such a wonderful mix. These companion activities for Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons are designed to make storytime a little more interactive without adding extra stress. And the best part? They are all completely free!
This book is probably my overall favorite Pete the Cat book and so do a lot of kids! They love following along as Pete loses his buttons one by one. It’s a nice way to practice early math skills while enjoying a story full of humor and color.
Bring the story to life with these activities:
Game #1 - Buttons Roll Away
Who doesn’t love games? This particular game let students practice counting, early subtraction and fine motor skills, all while having fun! It’s obviously inspired by Pete the Cat losing his buttons one by one.
For this game, start by preparing the shirts (laminate for durability) and adding buttons. I set up the table and materials like the photo. I got the tray from Kmart Australia, you can find it here if you’re interested. This game usually works best with 2–4 students, which keeps turns quick and makes sure everyone stays involved.
I also included instruction cards so that students can follow along independently.
First, students take turns rolling a die.
Next, they remove that many buttons from their shirt. The tray works really well for this because each student has their own spot to put their buttons.
The first player to have no buttons left is the winner! It’s a very simple game!
Next up is Buttons Roll & Cover! It's a fun way for students to practice counting and early addition while keeping the game exciting. You'll find the game just below!
Game #2 - Buttons Roll & Cover
This version focuses on counting and early addition, giving students a hands-on way to practice math skills. Here’s how I like to set it up, as shown in the photo above.
In this version, students take turns rolling a die and covering that many buttons on their shirt.
The first player to cover all their buttons wins!
There are two versions of the shirts, one with button guides and one without. You can choose whichever works best for your students as both versions can be used for either activity.
Oh, and these shirts are printed two per page, which makes them a bit smaller, perfect for quick printing and prep. You can print them however works best for your classroom!
I also found some buttons that fit perfectly as shown above! The bigger buttons work well too! I’ve tried both and the bigger buttons are definitely better for little hands.
Decorate Your Own Groovy Shirt
This is a creativity-focused activity. Just like with the shoes in my Pete the Cat: I Love My New Shoes book companion activities (available for free!), students get to enjoy creating making their own “groovy shirt” this time! They can add paper cutout buttons, color, draw patterns and get creative with designs. It’s a playful way for students to connect with the story while showing off their own style!
I’ve included 3 different options so you can choose what works best for your class:
🖍️ Simple Shirt Template I – for open-ended creativity
🖍️ Simple Shirt Template II – a version with space to write, “My groovy shirt has ___ buttons!”
🖍️ Bulletin Board-Sized Shirt Template – perfect for a class display of everyone’s creations
Button Patterns Activities
I created a separate download for these activities because, while they’re inspired by the buttons in Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, they focus entirely on patterning skills. Pattern recognition is a key early math skilll and these activities make it engaging with colorful buttons:
Pattern Cards
There are two versions of the pattern cards:
🌈 Pattern Cards I – students follow AB, AAB, ABB or ABC patterns on the cards (shown above)
🌈 Pattern Cards II – invite students to extend or complete missing buttons (shown below)
These cards give students the opportunity to extend or complete missing buttons, encouraging them to really think about the patterns and how they work. These cards are perfect for small groups, centers or independent practice.
You can use big buttons, any buttons you have on hand or the included button cutouts for students to complete the patterns.
My Button Patterns Page & My Book of Patterns
Kids love using bingo daubers so I incorporated this activity to make practicing patterns even more fun! They can use bingo daubers or color the buttons to match the written patterns. It’s an easy, hands-on way to reinforce pattern recognition while keeping little learners engaged.
To extend the fun, I also created a mini book where students can create their own button patterns with different shapes. They can either color, write their patterns or tick them, depending on their comfort level.
There are three differentiated options included so you can pick the one that best fits the needs of your students:
🌈 Color & Make Your Own Patterns – students create patterns simply by coloring
🌈 Color & Tick the Patterns You Made – students color and then check off the patterns they made (shown above)
🌈 Color & Write the Patterns You Made – students color and then record their patterns in writing (shown above)
I also added a blank version (shown above) so students can use other materials like stickers and stamps. This gives students more creative ways to build and extend their patterns.
I hope these activities help bring Pete the Cat to life in your classroom and make storytime even more engaging for your students!
