Bugs! Ewe! Most preschoolers and kindergarteners are fascinated with bugs even if they gross them out. Capitalize on this fascination with these free insect activities for preschoolers.
They will add lots of creepy, crawly fun to your classroom or home. With so many free insect printables to choose from, you may just find yourself hopping for joy when you share these fun activities with your preschoolers!
In order to help you with your insect theme, I have consolidated some of my favorite FREE insect printables for preschoolers in this post. Teaching bugs CAN be fun. Let me show you how!
What’s all the Buzzzzz about? Why have an entire theme dedicated to insect activities for preschoolers?
It may take putting our own fears or aversions aside, but there are many benefits to teaching our preschoolers about bugs!
Like it or not, bugs kind of dominate the earth (in sheer numbers, that is). There are a whopping 5.5 million species of bugs! I bet that is a fun fact that you didn’t know that you didn’t want to know?! Am I right?
You can do insect-themed activities anytime of the year, but Springtime seems to bring out a lot of the little critters and offers plenty of opportunities for bug observations in the real world.
I have gathered up so many FREE bug-themed learning activities, that it might just become your new favorite preschool theme. Okay, maybe not your favorite, but trust me on this one…..it will be fun!
Are you on the look-out for some super fun Insect Literacy and Math Centers? I have bundled together twelve different hands-on learning centers that cover skills from number sense, geometry, measurement, to letter formation, phonemic awareness, phonics, and so much more!
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Insect Preschool Centers$10.00
FAQ About How to Teach Insects to Preschoolers
Insects are characterized by three-part bodies, usually two pairs of wings, and three pairs of legs, and two antennae.
Some examples of insects are bees, mosquitoes, butterflies, grasshoppers, and beetles. Insects are members of a group animal called the arthropods. This group also includes spiders and lobsters.
Some preschoolers (and adults) have a little natural fear of insects. When introducing preschoolers to insects, it’s especially important to share positive experiences in the learning activities you choose.
Preschoolers love to hear interesting facts about well-known insects, too. Try using these insect fact cards during circle time.
Choose high quality picture books and include insect alphabet activities, insect math activities, and lots of insect themed art and sensory activities too!
An insect theme is fun to explore in the beginning of spring and throughout the season. This is when new growth is sprouting, the weather is warming, and insects are coming out of hibernation.
A preschool bug theme can also be fun well into summer when you can spot moths and lightning bugs, or when you turn over a rock to find lots of creepy crawlies in the mud underneath. I also love to teach my preschoolers about insects around Halloween.
Insect Activities For Preschoolers
It’s that time of year again… time for a bug theme at preschool. These bug activities include bug crafts, bug sensory play, even bug-themed gross motor activities! The other thing they all include is fun.
I is For Insect
I is for insect. A is for ant. B is for bumblebee. You get the idea. There are sooo many learning applications and skills that can be taught with an insect theme! The science concepts are endless, including steam concepts, biology, life cycles, habitats, and more.
Insect Preschool Printables
We love an insect theme so much that we created two different insect printables to go with!
Our insect emergent readers are great for building literacy connections and are lots of fun to color! Plus, our insect activity pack has loads of games and printables to practice math and literacy while incorporating an insect theme!
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Insect Emergent Readers$3.00 -
Insects Activity Pack$5.00
We can’t forget the good that these “pests” bring to our world.
Sharing positive stories and how bugs are also helpers can give your preschoolers more of an appreciation for these creatures. Concepts like pollination, decomposition, and the food chain are important parts of learning about the world around us.
List Of Insects For Preschool
You can do insect-themed activities anytime of the year, but spring time seems to bring out a lot of the little critters and offers plenty of opportunities for bug observations in the real world. It’s a time where we can all spend more time exploring outdoors, which includes bugs!
There are some common insects that might be in your area, and are commonly found in preschool bug themes:
- Caterpillars
- Butterflies
- Ladybugs
- Dragonflies
- Houseflies
- Bees
- Ants
- Praying Mantises
- Beetles
- Grasshoppers
- Cockroaches
- Centipedes
These bugs can be found in our free insect matching cards. This insect activity not only helps preschoolers refine their visual discrimination and sorting skills, but it also offers super fun and interesting facts about everyday insects.
The matching cards can be used anywhere, but taking them outside for a bug hunt is an absolute must! The cards also make for an engaging busy bag.
Books About Insects For Preschool
Since you might want to keep your distance from certain real-life insects, using high-quality books with vivd photographs is a great way to see bugs up close and personal. We have picked some of your favorite preschool insect books, full of facts, photos, and buggy fun!
Free Insect Printables
Creepy crawlies don’t have to be all that creepy! There are so many fun and adorable insect activities for preschoolers. They are hands-on while teaching important academic skills as well as bug facts.
Every preschool teacher or parent needs loads of easy hands-on activities that take almost no prep time. Look no further! You can buzzzz right in and explore my fantastic collection of free insect printables and learning activities!
Free Insect Printables
Don't you just love when you can get some thematic lesson plans all bundled together? And, don't you love it even more when you can get these lesson plans for FREE? Look no further! I have compiled for you some fantastic buggy activities in my FREE Insect Preschool Lesson Plans bundle! It includes a wide array of insect activities for preschoolers across the curriculum. Just by hitting "print", you get insect-themed literacy/reading activities, math, science, art, puzzles, sensory exploration, and more. It includes activities like ladybug math and a REAL ant experiment (don't worry, it's all done outside!). These lesson plans are perfect for at home learning or for the classroom. The activities are quick and easy to set up and typically require just basic household items. What are you waiting for? Hop, crawl, and scurry your way over to some incredible free insect lesson plans for preschool!
By Spring, when many butterflies emerge from the chrysalis, many preschoolers have had a metamorphosis of their own. That is, they have become these newly independent mighty little humans who are ready to take on new challenges. One of these new challenges is understanding one-to-one correspondence beyond 10. One fun and FREE way to teach teen numbers to preschoolers is with this free butterfly counting printable. It is a perfect insect math activity for preschool. There are 20 butterfly counting mats, each with a large leaf image and one numeral from 1-20, along with the corresponding number of butterflies. All you need is the counting cards and playdough or other counting manipulatives. If you use playdough, the kids get to create small butterfly eggs to count and put on the correct leaves. Any other counters of your choice can also represent the eggs. Some science, mixed in with some fine motor skills practice and lots of counting practice makes this activity a winning combination!
This is one of my favorite free insect printables for preschoolers. This bug-themed addition game is comprised of a colorful, bug-filled game board printable and bug house printables to collect your "bugs". This insect math activity for preschool helps your little learners practice counting in such a fun way! Your kiddos can also practice addition skills, if they are ready, as they move and collect their bugs along the gameboard. All you need to provide is a die and counters to use as bugs. Go and print this out, pull out the dice and counters, and hop your way into some bug-filled addition fun!
Who doesn't love an adorable polka-dotted lady bug? This free bug printable is one that will bring certain delight to your preschoolers. These ladybug-themed visual discrimination cards are not only cute, they are also educational. Each card has four ladybugs and a sentence that describes a particular ladybug (ie: Which ladybug has six polka dots?). The children simply use a clothespin to select the correct ladybug on each card. This sweet ladybug activity is great for teaching visual discrimination early literacy skills. There are also suggested extension questions included to make it even more interactive and fun!
I know that most of us don't thinnk bugs are cute, however, your little cherubs acting like bugs is nothing short of adorable. This Bug Action Cube (a gross motor sensory activity) is rip-roarin', bug-stompin' (oops!) fun! This free printable is easy to cut out and assemble,, and you are ready to go! Your little movers and shakers simply role the cube and follow what it says. You and your preschoolers can dance like a butterfly, climb like a spider, munch like a caterpillar, and more! This bug-themed gross motor activity has many sensory benefits, plus offers exercise, reading practice for those that are ready, and creative role play. So, come on....dance like a dragonfly, like no is watching!
Preschoolers typically LOVE caterpillars and butterflies! This free insect printable for preschoolers is adorable, engaging, and fun! It has adorable caterpillars and includes uppercase and lowercase letter cards, plus pictures to match the letters and sounds. Caterpillar Letter Sounds Matching Activity is perfect for a variety of skill levels. Grab this free bug printable and teach letter and sounds in a bugtastic way!
Are you looking for some more engaging printable insect activities for preschool? Look no further! Your preschoolers will love Bug Games so much that they won't even realize they are learning! This one is a 2 for 1, and both are FREE! With this awesome set, you get Bug Memory and Bug Hunting. Bug Memory has 14 cards with real photogaphs of 14 fairly common bugs, plus facts and even where you might find them! Clever, huh? You can prepare two sets and the memory game is ready to go! The Bug Hunting Game is comprised of a scavenger hunt check-off sheet and the bug cards. The kiddos can take the cards and checklists and see if they can find any of the bugs. They can also keep the checklists inside and check off bugs periodically, as they venture outside. Of course, make sure they use caution and don't touch any of the bugs that might give them more than they bargained for! Happy Hunting!
FREE Ant Life Cycle for Kids Printable Worksheets
Who ever thought that ants could be so cute? I mean, it kinda makes me want to take them home as pets...but...not really! These FREE printable ant life cycle worksheets are the perfect insect worksheets for kindergarten! They provide kindergarten skills practice in the alphabet, reading (including CVC word practice), math writing, science, coloring, graphing fun, and much more! The kids will be so intrigued by the ant''s life cycle and fun facts, that they might even forget that they are, well.....ants.
The bees are a buzzin' over to their flowers for some upper and lowercase letter matching fun! This is one of the free insect activities for preschoolers that makes the bugs look just so adorable. This Bee-Themed Letter Matching Game is simple, yet engaging. It's as easy as matching the lowercase letter bees to their uppercase matching flowers. You can challenge the kids that are ready to match all the cards (the entire alphabet), and for greater challenge, can have them put the cards in ABC order. You can simplify it for kiddos that are just learning letters by just setting out one card and its match at first. Be sure to share an oh-so-important science connection with your kiddos by introducing the word "pollination" and discussing how the bees help the flowers. I hope your kids keep buzzing about this fun activity for a long time!
Insect Toys for Preschool
Hands-on play is so important in preschool and these insect themed science toys are loads of fun and full of learning potential. Check out some of our favorite insect toys for preschool and add them to your theme to make learning come to life.
Printable Insect Activities for Preschool
Don’t forget to grab these super engaging Insect Literacy and Math Centers! With twelve different hands-on learning centers that cover skills from number sense, geometry, measurement, to letter formation, phonemic awareness, phonics, and so much more!
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Insect Preschool Centers$10.00
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
