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Bugs, insects, minibeasts, creepy crawlies – however you refer to them in your part of the world all children love learning about them! There are so many ideas that pop into my head as a teacher/parent when I think about this theme and the many creatures it covers!
It’s not just the different creatures BUT also the many areas of learning that you can cover too – life cycles, food chains, habitats and so on!
Whilst you plan, check out my teacher tried and tested activities below! Be sure to grab the free printable activity too!
Whether you choose to plan for just a day or a week you will find plenty of ideas here for all areas of learning.
You can find more themes to support you with your planning on the Preschool Themes Page. |
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Keep on reading or click the area you need inspiration for:
| Math | Literacy (ELA) | Book Corner | Dramatic Play |
| Scissor Skills | Problem Solving | Craft Ideas |
Bugs and Insects Maths Activities
| When I taught our Bug and Insects theme I set up various activities in the maths center –
My learners had access to:
You can find the printable resources here!
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TEACHER TIP: Use different types of clips with the counting cards. This will help develop fine motor skills alongside number sense skills. You might like to use these ladybug clips to encourage children to count.
| I also used this insect book to help teach counting! ‘The Icky Bug Counting Book ‘ teaches preschoolers to count beyond 10 whilst teaching them interesting facts about all the bugs. Ideal for a circle time activity, bedtime story or homeschooling! |     |
Finally, you might also be interested in these resources to help teach number sense skills:
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Bugs and Insects Literacy Activities
There are lots of activities that you can do for this subject area – tracing words, pencil skills, initial letter sounds, visual discrimination and so on. Here are some of the activities I used in my setting:
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Three part cards – Three part cards are designed on the Montessori Nonclemnture cards. They consist of a base card with the picture and word label, a card of the picture, and a card with the word label. I like using these because they are so easy to differentiate for all types of learners! I have also found much success with them in my Autism group. TEACHER TIP: Differntiate the task to suit your learners. Start with matching the picture to the base card THEN have your learner match the picture and word! |
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Visual discrimination clip cards – Developing visual discrimination is the foundation for pre-reading skills. TEACHER TIP: Use different types of pegs to help develop muscles in the fingers. |
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Vocabulary tracing –
Increase topic specific words whilst increasing letter formation and pencil control! TEACHER TIP: Provide a pot of markers/coloring pencils so they can choose what colors they would like to use! |
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I also used this visual discrimination activity that is free in my TPT Store! Click here to download a copy! |
I also used differentiated pencil control sheets depending on my the abilities of my learners:
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Here are some other resources and activities you might want to include:
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Book Corner Suggestions –
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Bugs and Insects Problem Solving Activities
Puzzles –I like puzzles. They encourage my learners to think and increase their resilience to independently solve problems. This activity will also assist the development of hand-eye coordination and enhancing memory skills.
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Bugs and Insects Dramatic Play Activities
There’s a few ideas that you could use to support dramatic play in your educational setting or home.
You could:
- dress up as different insects and move like them
- create a picnic with plastic bugs that could sabotage the outdoor fun
- create an entomology lab and pretend to be an entomologist!
Here are some ideas for props and resources that may help you support dramatic play:
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Bugs and Insects Crafts for Preschool
In my setting we created this bug and insect craft! It was a headband that the children stuck pictures of creatures on. This printable is free if you would like to use it. Just click here for a copy of the Bug and Insect craft!
TEACHER TIP: Have the children make their headbands and wear them on a bug hunt in the yard!
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I also like to use Pinterest as my muse for coming up with craft ideas for Bugs and Insects. Click the image to visit my Bugs and Insects board:
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Some of the ideas include:
Bug rocks – Find a round rock and design a bug! You could use a variety of materials to decorate including googly eyes! These are great for decorating flower pots, gardens etc. Paperchain caterpillars – Cut strips of papers and have children use different mediums to attach them together add pipe cleaners, googly eyes and draw a mouth on the end to make the caterpillars head.
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Bugs and Insects Scissor Skills:
| Scissor skill development is an important life skill and helps develop the fine motor muscles in the hand which helps with pencil control
If you purchase the bundle from my TPT store you will receive the scissor skills sheet which is exclusive to the bundle. You always save 30% on my printables, free additions and free updates when purchased in a bundle! |
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Other Preschool Themes you might like:
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| Dental Health | Under The Sea | My Body | Chinese New Year | Apples |
Where are you heading to next?
| More Preschool Themes | Primary Creations Home Page | Primary Creations Store |