Whether you are a bug lover or not, it’s likely that your preschoolers are fascinated with crawly insects. We’ve put together a set of free insect preschool lesson plans where you’ll find loads of ideas for an insect preschool theme, including book ideas, art, sensory exploration, and math and science fun. You’ll find the whole bundle of buggy ideas at the end of this post in a free download of preschool lesson plans.
Free Insect Activities for Preschoolers
Let me be honest, learning about creepy crawlies is not exactly my favorite preschool theme but it is certainly a favorite with my preschoolers!
So I put aside my dislike for bugs in general and dive into the various insect life cycles, and bug body parts, as we get our fill of bug crafts with this bug theme.
My preschoolers always love it and we end up learning so much about bugs and their purpose in nature. It reminds me why this theme is so important and so loved by young children. So grab some free insect ideas for your preschoolers by heading to the bottom of this post and make this buggy theme easy to plan and teach!
FAQ About an Insect Preschool Theme
You may have a few questions about teaching this preschool theme! Check out these frequently asked questions for how to teach your preschoolers about insects.
Preschoolers can learn loads of information about insects! They can learn to classify insects and label body parts. Learn about how different insects have different life cycles and play different roles in our environment. Most importantly, children can learn that every insect plays a valuable role in nature and we should allow those insects to do their jobs.
It’s important for children to learn to respect and be kind to all creatures, including pesky ones that may often bother us. When children learn that these insects have an important job to do, like the bumblebee pollinating our food or the ants that help break down waste as an integral part of our food web.
Get outside and explore bugs! Infuse your literacy time with high-quality insect books and learn facts about unusual bugs that you might not come across in your everyday life. Use the free lesson plans below to create bug art and incorporate hands-on activities using play dough or pipe cleaners to make your own buggy friends!
Important Info about these Insect Lesson Plans
These lesson plans for preschoolers are just one theme in a set of over 40 that will become a part of my free Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans.
The Learn at Home Preschool Activity Plans are a set of free activity plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.
Each set of lesson plans is centered around a weekly theme and includes a minimum of 16 activities that can be done throughout the week. They are designed to be done at home with parents, but many preschool teachers are using these lesson plans, too!
Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!
All the preschool learning activities are quick and easy to set up, requiring very little (if any at all) prep and only require the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers happy, too!
These activities also work wonderfully in the classroom, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.
Engaging Preschool Activities for an Insect Theme
These bug activities for preschoolers are sure to have your preschoolers a ‘buzz’! Full of engaging activities and loads of learning, these academic and playful ideas will make planning your insect preschool theme super simple.
Literacy Activities for an Insect Preschool Theme
Insect Prewriting Practice – This prewriting practice activity is great for building fine motor skills and the pencil grip needed for writing skills. Plus, it’s a breeze to prep. Print and grab some small items like buttons or dried beans. Invite your preschooler to place a button on each ant and then drag each one along the lines all the way back to the bug cage.
Ladybug Letter Puzzles and Sensory Bin – This fun activity can be turned into a sensory bin if you are feeling adventurous or used as a letter identification puzzle. This puzzle helps your preschooler learn the upper and lowercase versions of each letter. Print and cut out and place just a few mixed-up sets of letters to begin (no more than 4 pairs to begin). Invite your preschooler to find the matches. If used in a sensory bin, you can hide the letters in dyed rice along with dried black beans for even more letter fun!
Don’t Forget Picture Books!
One of the best ways to teach preschoolers about any theme is by hand-selecting the highest-quality picture books! This is a book list of our best-loved picture books for an insect theme.
Math and Science Activities for an Insect Theme in Preschool
Bumblebee Counting Cards – Print the template and grab some dice! Roll the die and count that many ants to the grass template. Feel free to head outside and see how many ants you can find!
One More One Less Ladybug Math – Learning more and less is so much fun with this ladybug game. Print the die and the recording sheet and use pom-poms, beads, or mini ladybugs to count. Roll the die and practice adding one more and one less to your page!
Ant Experiment – This experiment is so fun because you get to watch ant behavior and learn about their favorite foods! Plus, it uses food items you already have on hand.
Playful Preschool Learning Activities for an Insect Theme
Move Like an Insect – Get up and get moving! Feel free to download the gross motor movement dice or just come up with different ways to move like an insect.
Bug Hunt – Head outside and go on a bug hunt. Ask an adult to use their camera and take pictures of every bug you spot. Then, come home and draw a picture of one or two of the bugs and color it and display it proudly.
Animal Tape Rescue – Grab some plastic animals or insects and some painter’s tape. Tape them to the table or to a piece of cardboard. Invite your preschooler to try and get them up without ripping the tape. What will their plan be? How many can they pull up safely?
Social-Emotional Activities for an Insects Preschool Theme
Learning Patience – Go to YouTube and read The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach. Being patient is not an easy task, especially for preschoolers. When a caterpillar notices that the other caterpillars are climbing up a tree to go through metamorphosis. He doesn’t know anything about that but he does know that waiting to become a beautiful butterfly is hard. He tries to escape early but he hasn’t grown his wings yet. After reading, discuss with your preschooler: When have you felt impatient? What can you do when you are feeling impatient?
Bee Kind – Learning to be kind is a critical aspect of preschool education. Invite your preschooler to share different ways to be kind and give specific examples of how they can be kind in their everyday life. Grab some rocks and paint them to look like bees. Head outside and leave them for people to find with a note that says, “Bee Kind!” Go to a local park or busy area and remind your preschooler that someone’s day will be brightened with this one-painted rock.
Just Plain Fun Insects Activities for Preschoolers
Firefly Suncatcher Art – Go to YouTube and read The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle. After listening, make your very own firefly! Using black construction paper and yellow tissue paper this firefly craft is sure to light up your day.
Insect Small World – Using plastic insects, dried white beans, and sticks, invite your preschooler to create a “small world” for their insects. Hide them under sticks and re-arrange them
Learn Cool Insect Facts – These insect matching cards help preschoolers refine their visual discrimination and sorting skills plus they offer interesting facts about everyday insects.
Get Online Activities for an Insects Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the story, In the Tall Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. After listening, discuss with your preschooler: What were some of the insects we met in this story? Share the words they used to describe what they were doing (munch, lug, zip, zap, etc.)? What other insects could we add to the story? Can you think of words we could use to describe them?
Meet Some Real-Life Insects – Check out these real insects and learn a few interesting facts about them too!
Here is the Beehive – Buzz along with this fun video and count the bees as they come out of their hive!
Make Your Insects Theme Even Better!
These insect items and hands-on materials are such a fun addition to your insect theme. These are some of the insect toys and activity kits I like to use with my preschoolers. We especially love the ant farm as we watch the ants go through the tunnels and trails. Plus, the jumbo insects are great for a sensory bin full of buggy friends!
Get Your Free Insects Lesson Plans Here
Want to include these insect activities in your lesson plans? Ready to grab your free printable lesson plans with all these insect theme activities for preschoolers?!
No problem. I’ve made a printable for you. Just fill out the form below and it will be sent to your inbox.
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I am an educator, book enthusiast, and a stay at home momma to two precious and long-awaited littles. My degree is in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction and I have spent the last 15 years working with young children. I feel very fortunate to have this time to watch my babies grow and I can’t wait to share my passion for learning and reading with you!
