Bug theme ideas and activities for teaching and learning about bugs and insects in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten.
Insect and Bug Books
Insect and Bug Literacy Activities
Buzz Buzz Game
Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Sight words
Materials: Blank bee cards- one per sight word and one extra (available in free printables section below), Sharpie marker, bee hive Easter basket (Walgreens).
Directions: Write one sight word on each card with the Sharpie. On the back of one card, write the words “Buzz! Buzz!”. Seat a small group of students around a table. Place the cards in the “bee hive”. The students will take turns passing the bee hive around the table and drawing one card with eyes closed. The student draws a card, identifies the word on the card, and passes the bee hive to the next person, leaving his card on the table in front of him. When a student selects the card with the words “buzz! buzz!” on it all the students at the table make buzzing noises. The student who drew the “Buzz!” card must return all his cards to the bee hive.
Insect Sight Word Mats
Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Identifying Sight Words
Materials: Bug Accents (see resources section below), Sharpie marker, lamination film, magnetic letters
Directions: Write a different focus sight word on each bug accent with a Sharpie marker. Laminate the accents for durability. Place a basket or tub of magnetic letters in the center of the table. Students will spell the sight words out on the mats with magnetic letters.
Insect Rhyming Die
Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Rhyming
Materials: Pocket Die, insect vocabulary picture cards (see printables section below), recording sheet, Do-A-Dot markers
Directions: Seat students around a table or on the floor in a circle. Give each student in your small group a recording sheet and a Do-A-Dot marker. Students will take turns rolling the die, identifying the picture, and creating a rhyming word. When the student successfully creates a rhyme he can stamp the picture he made the rhyme for on his recording sheet.
Insect Beginning Sounds
Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Beginning Sounds
Materials: Insect vocabulary picture cards (see printables section below), mini fly swatters (available here)
Directions: Seat your students at a table facing you and give each student a mini fly swatter. Place 3 cards in front of you, each of an insect that begins with a different sound and say the beginning sound of one of the insects. The students have to “swat” the picture of the insect that begins with that sound.
Insect Syllables
Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers
Objective: Syllables
Materials: Insect vocabulary picture cards (see printables section below), 3 paper lunch bags with picture of a butterfly net, sharpie, glue stick
Directions: Glue a picture of a butterfly net on the front of each paper lunch bag. Number each bag, 1-3 with the Sharpie. Students will identify the picture on each card, identify the number of syllables in the word, then place the card in the bag with the corresponding number. Students may choose to make insect noises as their insects enter the bags.
Insect and Bug Math Activities
In the Tall, Tall Grass Counting Activity
Materials: green construction paper, scissors, bug stamps or stickers, glue, “In the Tall Tall Grass” label.
Read the book In the Tall, Tall Grass to your students. Take a 9×12 piece of green construction paper and fold the bottom up 1/4, hot-dog style. Next, allow your students to fringe the 1/4 flap with scissors or pre-cut it if they are too young. Print out the book title on a piece of paper, one title for each student and have them glue it to the bottom front. Print the fill in the blank sentence and have students glue it to the top. Allow students to place bug stamps or stickers on the paper behind the fringe. When pulled down, the bugs will appear to be “hiding” In the Tall, Tall Grass. Have students record the number of bugs in the blank.
Insect Counting Book
Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objective: concepts of print, number sense, number identification
*This is a crossover activity meaning it integrates literacy and math*
Materials: bug stamps, “I Can See Bugs” booklet- one per child, available in the printables section below.
Directions: Students “read” the sentences on each page using their knowledge of numbers and sight words for support. Students stamp the appropriate number of insects on each page.
Insect Counting 1-5
Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objective: 1:1 correspondence
Materials: 1-5 counting grid- one per child (available in printables section below), insect stickers or stamps
Directions: Give each child in the small group a counting grid sheet. Place the insect stickers or stamps in the center of the table in a container so all students can easily reach them. The students will place the correct number of stickers next to each number on the counting grid.
Insect Patterns
Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objective: Patterning
Materials: Patterning grid- one per child (available in printables section below), insect stickers or stamps
Directions: Give each child in the small group one patterning grid. Place the stickers or stamps in the center of the table in a container so all students can easily reach them. The students will use the stickers or stamps to create a pattern on the grid.
Bee 1:1 Game
Setting: Small Group, Math Centers
Objectives: 1:1 correspondence
Materials: Bee 1:1 mats- one per student in small group (available in printables section below), bee erasers, yellow pom-poms, or bee playing pieces (available in printables section below)
Directions: Print the 1:1 bee mats on cardstock and laminate. Give each student in the small group a mat. Place the bee erasers, yellow pom-poms, or bee playing pieces in the center of the table in a container so they are easily accessible to all students. Each student takes a turn rolling the die and putting the corresponding number of bees on their mat. When there is one bee on each beehive on the mat the students have successfully completed the game.
Fun Insect Activities
Coffee Filter Butterflies
Materials: pipe cleaners, coffee filters, Crayola watercolor markers, spray bottle of water, clothespins.
Give each student a coffee filter and markers. Ask students to color their coffee filter with the markers. Next, moisten the coffee filters by allowing the students to spray them with water from a spray bottle. Cut the pipe cleaners in half and put the pipe cleaner into the clothespin (see picture). Next, push the dry coffee filter into the clothespin.
Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle
Materials: white paper plates- 9 inch, four kinds of uncooked pasta: orzo, large shell, rotini, bowtie, glue, watercolors, Crayola markers, one black marker.
With the black marker, draw lines to divide each plate into four equal sections. Then label the outer edge of each section with a different stage of development; Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis, and Butterfly. Glue the orzo pasta in the section to represent the egg. Glue the rotini in the section to represent the caterpillar. Glue the large shell pasta in the section to represent the chrysalis, and finally, glue the bowtie pasta in the section to represent the butterfly. Add leaves and flowers to the sections and paint the pasta with watercolors.
Paint Splat Butterflies
Materials: tempera paint- various colors, construction paper, scissors, butterfly tracer.
Trace a butterfly shape on to construction paper. Next, cut out the shape and place a dab of paint in middle and fold the paper in half. When opened the paint will have created a beautiful butterfly!
Insect and Bug Printables
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Insect and Bug Resources
Insect Links
Prekinders
