A Beginner’s Guide to Disney’s Animal Kingdom with Preschoolers

Continuing with our “Beginner’s Guide to Walt Disney World” series, we are hopping over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom today! In this post you will find the best rides & attractions here for the preschooler crowd.

Truth be told, Animal Kingdom is the one park we haven’t spent a ton of time in – until our most recent trip, that is! In the past, we have usually opted to only spend a 1/2 day or so at Animal Kingdom in order to get over to Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. We’ve recently switched up our park day plans as we’ve come to realize just how many amazing things there are to do at Animal Kingdom and I’ve gathered up some of our favorites to share with you!

Know Before You Go

Download the MyDisney Experience App on your phone. This will be your lifeline for your park days – trust me. Inside the app you can check wait times, make FastPass+ selections/changes, view maps of the parks, and even order food at quick-service restaurants.

Take a look at the rides & attractions for Animal Kingdom before you go (preferably before you make your FastPass+ selections) and make a list of your top “must-dos”. I even recommend going a step further and creating a flexible schedule for the day. Use your notepad on your smart phone to create your schedule, so it’s handy at the park. Proper planning is key to a successful park day – especially with young children.

Check the park hours for your arrival day and be sure to take advantage of any early morning Magic Hours, if you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. Regular park hours begin at 9AM, while Magic Hours begin at 8AM.

Kilimanjaro Safari

It’s only fitting that one of the best rides at Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safari. After all, animals are kind of a big deal here! Hop aboard your open-air safari vehicle and enjoy a nearly 20 minute ride through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Home to dozens of animals from lions to hippos to giraffes – oh my!

There are no height requirements to ride, so it’s perfect for any age. Both of my kids (ages 4 & 6) had an absolute blast spotting all of the animals from their current fave movie obsession, The Lion King.

Fun Fact: Did you know that you can fit the entire Magic Kingdom theme park inside this single ride at Animal Kingdom?! Yep, you read that correctly! The Harambe Wildlife Reserve is ginormous – 110 acres to be exact! Pretty incredible, right?!

Tip: No two safaris are ever the same, so if you’re looking to maximize your experience at Animal Kingdom, ride this one twice. I recommend heading to the safari first thing in the morning while lines are low and then snagging a FastPass+ for it later in the day (or even at night)!

DinoLand U.S.A.

If you have a young dinosaur lover at home like I do, you definitely won’t want to miss out on DinoLand U.S.A.! This perfectly themed land is home to the TriceraTop Spin, a slow spinning ride (similar to Dumbo over at Magic Kingdom) with no height requirement. It’s a big hit with the preschooler crowd and my soon-to-be 7 year old still begs to ride this one!

Another favorite spot in DinoLand U.S.A. is The Boneyard. Your little explorers can run and play in this shaded area while exploring caves and digging for fossils. It’s a great spot (with misting fans) to beat the heat!

If you’re feeling extra brave and your children are at least 40″ tall, then travel back in time to see life-like dinosaurs in action on the DINOSAUR ride. Note: This is a very loud and dark ride, so keep that in mind before deciding to ride.

The Festival of the Lion King

Hands down one of the best stage shows I’ve ever seen at Walt Disney World is this one! Everything from the music to the costumes to the incredible acrobatics. This 30 minute indoor show will have you singing all of your favorite Lion King songs and dancing in your seat! The bright colors and lovable characters from the movie will have your kiddos engaged the entire time. A must see show!

Tip: Many of the stage shows run their last performance between 5:00 – 6:00 PM. I recommend catching the shows during the late morning/early afternoon hours, so you don’t miss out.

Wildlife Express Train + Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Climb aboard the Wildlife Express Train and enjoy a relaxing ride up to Rafiki’s Planet Watch & Conservation Station. As you make your way there, you will pass by several animal housing areas, as well as veterinarian facilities. It’s a pretty neat “backstage tour” and the train ride is always a hit with kids!

Note: Please keep in mind that the train ride is a round-trip experience. After you arrive, you are free to explore Rafiki’s Planet Watch for as long as you wish. When you’re ready to head back to the main section of the park, you’ll simply hop on the return train. The train ride is about 6-7 minutes each way.

The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Do you have a little one who draws every single chance they get or perhaps an aspiring Disney animator in your house? If you answered yes, you’ll definitely want to check out the NEW Animation Experience at Conservation Station. While the Animation Experience isn’t exactly geared for preschoolers, it was too cool of an experience not to share with you! I mean – how many times in your life are you going to get the chance to learn how to draw from a real-life Disney animator?! In my opinion, it doesn’t get much cooler than this!

This 25-minute animation class will teach you (and your kids!) how to draw your favorite Disney character from The Lion King. Each class is different, so you never know which character you will draw. You will be provided a clipboard, pencil and a piece of paper with a basic template to get you started. The animator will then guide you step-by-step through your drawing.

Tip: If you’re bringing your kids to this class, I recommend getting a FastPass+ for preferred seating which will ensure they will have the best view of the screens. We got there early and were able to grab front row seating.

And you never know who might show up during your class to serve as your inspiration! We were lucky enough to be treated with a visit from a real-life Zazu.

Watch out – he flies, too! And yep, this is my son and I totally ducking down. Did I mention I have a slight phobia of birds?!

My almost 7-year old was able to (mostly) keep up with the pace of this class. If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he’ll tell you a Disney Pixar Animator – and don’t forget the “Pixar” part – he’ll correct you everytime 😉 Despite a few moments when he got behind, this was a dream come true for him. And no need to worry if you want to attend this class with younger children because there are coloring sheets + crayons for them!

Character Meet & Greets

Meet your favorite Disney pals at the Adventurers Outpost – including safari-loving Mickey & Minnie! Even if you’ve already met this adorable duo at a different park, it’s always fun to see them in new outfits. And you can’t beat the cute photo op!

P.S. Thought I’d share a throwback photo of us here when my son was just 3 years old!

Nighttime Shows

If you’re planning to make a day out of it, you definitely won’t want to miss The Rivers of Light nighttime show or the Tree of Life Nighttime Awakening. Both are absolutely mesmerizing and are a great way to end your day at Animal Kingdom! After dark, the Tree of Life will run every 10 minutes until the park closes, whereas, Rivers of Light typically has two scheduled show times (check the park schedule for your arrival day).

How long should I plan to visit Animal Kingdom?

If possible, I definitely recommend 1 full day here in order to get the complete Animal Kingdom experience!

Keep in mind there is an entire other world to explore over at Pandora – The World of Avatar. I won’t go into too much detail about Pandora in this post simply because it is not specifically geared for younger children (note: Flight of Passage has a 44″ height requirement). However, it is really neat to walk through, so if you have the time built into your day, it’s worth a trip over there just to explore! But, if you’re traveling with preschoolers and you’re short on time at Animal Kingdom, I’d skip this section until they’re a year or two older. Just think of it as something new & exciting to see on your next trip!

One final note – there is so much more to Animal Kingdom than I can fit into a single blog post. I’m mostly touching on the highlights of the park here, as well as including our personal family favorites.

I hope you’ve found this guide helpful for navigating Animal Kingdom with young children. It truly is an experience like none-other.

What is YOUR fave ride or attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

xo,

Sumer

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