If you have a bug-lover at home, why not harness that enthusiasm with a few fun and engaging bug-centered activities? Use your child’s love for insects to help them learn new skills! Below is a big list of easy bug activities.
These activities are great for toddlers, preschoolers, and young school aged kids.
Toilet Paper Insects
I love this simple, cute bug craft! One of the best parts is that you likely have most of the supplies at your house already! Just grab some toilet paper rolls, paper, glue, and googly eyes (or you can make your own eyes!) My kids each chose to make a honey bee, but if you want more options, there are tons of different bugs you can create. Just Google it!
The result of this cute little insect craft at our house was not some picture-perfect honey bee. That was on purpose because I want my kids to be as independent as possible. Many “toddler” crafts on the internet look perfect, but they almost certainly were not made by toddlers! I let my kids use kid scissors to cut their own construction paper stripes. (Of course, I was nearby the whole time) They were also in charge of the glue bottle (yes it got a little messy), and they got to decide where to put the stripes and wings.
So even though it didn’t turn out perfect, they were proud of themselves because they did just about all of the work! And that also meant we got to work on their fine motor skills like cutting and gluing.
Related Article: How to Build Self-Esteem in Your Toddler
Buggy Snack (apples and pretzels)
Did you know that you can take some pretty healthy snacks and turn them into a bug? A great way to do it is to grab an apple (or a pear if you prefer) and stick some of those rod-shaped pretzels in it to make the legs of a little bug creature. You can add some raisins or chocolate chips as eyes (you may need to add peanut butter glue), and there you have it! Cute as a bug! And tasty, too!
You can also get creative and go a different route-it’s up to you! Let your creative juices flow or check out this website that has a few different ideas and some visuals to help get you started!
Butterfly Net
If you want to learn about butterflies and bugs, getting up close and personal is one of the best ways to do it! Of course, you will want to help your child be careful with the bugs, as not to hurt or kill them. But if it’s done well, you can see some critters up close without any of them getting hurt.
Use these to catch grasshoppers, lightning bugs, or butterflies!
Honeybee Tree Game
If you are trying to build a whole preschool insect theme week, then having some games is a great idea! This game is great for fine motor skills, as the child has to use their little hands to put in and pull out “leaves” from the tree. It’s also a fun way to work on social skills like turn-taking. It will take some problem-solving to figure out which leaves to pull, too. Not to mention, it’s just a fun game!
Great Insect Books
One of the best ways to learn about bugs is through reading, of course! And kids of all ages are more motivated to read about topics they care about! So if you have young children who aren’t so sure about reading, but love bugs, this could be a perfect way to work on their literacy skills! (Check out my article here if you are wondering about other ways to motivate young readers.)
National Geographic Little Kids First Book of Bugs
If you haven’t read the National Geographics books with your kids, you are missing out! The books are known for their great pictures and fun facts, and the “First Big Book of Bugs” is no exception!
Bug Coloring Book
This bug book has coloring pages and interesting facts for your little bug lover. Let them get creative as they color in variouis bugs, all while learning something new!
Ultimate Bug-Opedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever
The Ultimate Bugopedia book is another great National Geographic book. This big book of bugs covers tons of different insects with some basic info on each one, along with fascinating facts. This book is perfect for toddlers, your preschool classroom, or even for elementary-aged students. It can grow with your child!
ABC Bug Book
This book is geared toward younger bug lovers, as there are only a few fun facts per page. The language is simple, yet your child still gets to learn something new as they read through the colorful pages.
Insect Sensory Bin
Sensory play is both fun and good for kids! That’s why sensory bins are one of my favorite types of insect activities!
To put together an insect sensory bin, you have a lot of options! Just mix and match the ideas below, and let your child go crazy! (I do always suggest putting your sensory bin on top of a beach towel to contain the mess!)
- Bin: 9×13 pan, large tupperware, storage bin, sand box
- Filler: real dirt, corn meal, easter grass, dried black beans
- Toys: plastic bugs, magnifying glass, sensory bin tools, mini butterfly nets
Egg Carton Critters
Check out these fun spring craft critters! Save an empty egg carton and the possibilities are endless! If you add some crayons, markers, or paint your child can make their own bugs as unique as they want! Finish off with googly eyes, pom poms, and pipe cleaners to really get the buggy look!
My kiddos chose to make a caterpillar! I loved the independence they experienced since they did the decorating and pom pom gluing. Although this caused a bigger mess, my kids loved it and they got to practice some important skills for their age.
If you are looking for other cute bugs to make with egg cartons, check out this post from Ginger Snap Crafts.
Insect Inspector (magnifying glass)
You can’t be a proper bug lover without a quality magnifying glass. This one is kid-friendly but still well-made. Your little bug lover will enjoy exploring those backyard bugs outside, under rocks, and all around trees. They will feel oh-so official if they get one of these cool magnifying glasses!
Lightning Bug Delight
If it’s the right time of year, catching lightning bugs is an incredibly magical experience for your kids. Both younger kids and older kids will enjoy this activity.
Growing up, we would grab glass jars or just catch the bugs in our hands and let them go after a bit. It’s just so much fun to watch those amazing bugs light up!
These bugs are most often found in summer, in an open field, or the forest. And of course, you want it to be a bit dark out so you can see them lighting up.
Butterfly Craft
I absolutely love this little butterfly craft from Eighteen25. We love a good paper plate craft at our house, and I love how hands-on it is for your toddler. (Too many crafts on the internet end up being 80% adult work, and 20% kid crafting, and I kind of hate that!)
Your child gets to color and design the butterfly’s wings however they want-you can use crayons, markers, paint, dobbers, or whatever you fancy! After cutting the wings, just add some craft spoons, googly eyes, pom poms, and pipe cleaners to complete the look!
My kids used dobbers to create their cute butterfly crafts, and they had so much fun doing it! They chose different ways to make their wings, and I liked how all of them turned out. I let my big kids, ages 3 and 5 do their own dobbing and cutting (with supervision, of course!)
Bug Catching Puzzle
This puzzle could not be cooler! It’s not just a puzzle, it’s also a magnetic tool to “catch” the bugs. It’s such a cute combo and would be a great addition to any child’s puzzle collection! Your child can work on their fine motor and cognitive abilities as they play with this awesome toy!
Counting Lady Bugs
This cute ladybug game is a hands-on way to work on number recognition. Each bug has the numeral on one side and the corresponding number of dots on the other side. Your little bug lover will have so much fun matching and sorting these cute little guys!
Fly Swatter Skills
You can do some pretty creative, silly things with a fly swatter. One of the fun bug games you can play with a fly swatter targets your child’s math skills or literacy skills. Below are a few examples of how to set up a little game.
- For toddlers working on number recognition, write numbers 1-10 (or 20) on sticky notes and hang them up on the wall in a random order. Call out a number and have your child “swat” the number. Can you think of a more fun way to work on number recognition? I can’t!
- For a preschool-aged student, you can work on simple addition skills with numbers under 10. Call out simple addition problems (“What is two plus three?”) and have your child swat the answer.
- For toddlers working on letter recognition, write letters on sticky notes and as you call out the letter, have them swat the correct one.
- For preschool students, you can write out both lowercase letters and uppercase letters. Call out a letter, and have your child swat both the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter.
- For kindergarten students, write up some of the sight words they are working on, and let them swat the word as you call it out.
Dress Like a Bug
If your child loves bugs, then why not dress up as one?! I love these cute little bug costumes that include a ladybug, butterfly, and bee. Your little one will love dressing up and prancing around, pretending to be a bug.
You could also try out a costume closer to a bug explorer if your child wants to go on a bug hunt! This one is super cute and well-rated!
Beehive Matching Game
This beehive game has a variety of skills your child can work on as they play. They get to match colors and work on color names. And the tweezers will help your little one with their fine motor skills. The small size of the game also makes it fairly portable if your little one wants to take it in the car.
some new skills.
Bug Finger Puppets
These little critters are so cute, and your child gets to put them on their fingers! There is a bee finger puppet, along with ladybugs, grasshoppers, and butterflies.
You could use these cute little finger puppets to act out the bug books you get your child, too. I love using finger puppets or other stuffed animals to make storytime even more fun!
Butterfly Life Cycle Activity
Get extra science-y with a fun butterfly life cycle activity from Taming Little Monsters. It’s a great way to help your child discover the different stages of a butterfly. I do think it’s one of the coolest things on Earth that a little caterpillar turns into a butterfly! How amazing! And if you show excitement while you explain it to your child, they will catch your enthusiasm, too.
Bug Math
There are plenty of great ways to incorporate math while you play with bugs. And using an interest your child already has (bugs) will help them want to participate in math.
I suggest getting these little bugs to help with using math at all different levels and abilities.
If your child is new to math, consider just working on counting the little bugs. Count up to ten over and over as you put them in containers and let your child put them in and dump them out.
The next level to work on would be having them count using a one-to-one ratio. That means that they actually count the number of items accurately, not just counting out loud.
If your child has counting objects down, then you can work on the beginnings of addition. Work on only using small numbers to add together. For example, put two bugs in a group and three bugs in a different group. Let your child count the two groups, then put them together in one big group and have them count again. Keep doing this with various small amounts and different bugs.
Bug Catcher
If your child is ready to go out and find some real bugs, this bug catcher is the perfect accessory! The set also includes a magnifying glass and a smaller container that can magnify your little bugs, too.
Getting up close and personal with bugs is the perfect way for your child to learn more about them!
Felt Insect Board
This big (3.5 feet!) felt mat has 45 pieces of bugs and other outdoorsy options for your child to stick and restick all over. Felt boards are a fantastic way for your child to engage in pretend play and story retelling. Your child’s imagination can run wild!
Love Bug Craft
Another of my super fun bug crafts is an easy activity for your littles. I cut up a bunch of hearts in many sizes and the kids used their imagination (and maybe a little bit of help from mom) to think about different kinds of bugs. My oldest (five-year-old) made the green ant, my three-year-old made the yellow honey bee, and I helped my almost two-year-old make the butterfly.
Buggy I Spy Bottle
Have you ever heard of an “I Spy Bottle”? They are the most fun thing! First, save an old pop or water bottle (you will want a sturdy one). Then add a filler- dry rice works well, but you can also do dried corn kernels or beans. Then, add small bug toys (I like these). Put the filler and the bugs in the bottle and be sure to glue it nice and tight. Then you child can search through the filler to find the bugs.
This is a great thing to make for car or plane rides because your child is really going to enjoy it and it’s an independent activity.
Insect Sort
This tube of 60 insects has 12 different kinds of bugs (for you math whizzes, that’s 5 of each kind). That makes it the perfect toy for helping your child work on sorting skills. While sorting may not seem all that important, it is! Sorting helps your child become more observant as they compare and contrast the various traits of each bug. This is a great skill for language building and numeracy.
Can you believe how many fun bug activities there are in the world? Whether you are looking to create an insect theme preschool week, or you have a bug lover at home, I hope you found what you are looking for! If you have some other exciting buggy ideas, I’d love to hear about them!