Creepy, crawly bugs are a favorite topic in the primary classroom! This theme is one that can be used at any point in the year and is super helpful in boosting engagement. Come along to see some of my favorite insect activities and how I use them in the primary classroom!

Why You’ll Love These Insect Activities

Bees, ants, spiders, butterflies, and more! Insects are always a fun theme to explore with your students! If you know me, you might already know that thematic teaching is my favorite way to lesson plan. I love choosing a fun new theme, like insects, every couple of weeks and focusing all of our learning activities around it. Not only does this make planning far easier, but it also allows us to explore different topics! When it comes to favorite themes in the primary classroom, insects are at the top of the list. Students are fascinated by these creepy, crawly creatures, so engagement is a breeze!

Aside from the fact that students enjoy this topic, I think you’ll also find that it’s an easy one to plan for. You can provide a broad overview of insects or choose to focus on specific bugs in depth, such as bees, butterflies, or spiders. No matter what you choose, one thing is for sure… your kids are going to LOVE this theme! Now, let’s dive into some of my tried-and-true insect activities!

Introduce Insects with Books

Any new theme deserves a fun introduction to help set the stage. I love using books as our starting point for every topic, and luckily, there are tons of great insect books out there! Before you begin your bug unit, take some time to collect picture books on the topic. Check your school and local library for some new favorites. I also have a few suggestions of my own to keep an eye out for!

Bugs Everywhere by Lily Murray

This picture book is a great place to start with your insect activities! Inside, you will find tons of information about the many different types of insects in our world. The book explores bugs that live in jungles, underwater, and even in our houses! This book is also filled with tons of great illustrations and interesting facts that students will enjoy.

Bug Alphabet by Mrs. Peanuckle

I love alphabet books! It’s fun to learn new words for each letter of the alphabet, and this book does just that with an interesting insect for every letter. As you work through the alphabet, students will learn the name of a particular insect, as well as some interesting facts about their habitat and what they are known for.

A Cricket in the Thicket by Carol Murray

Rhymes and poems are another one of my favorites when it comes to read-alouds. This book is filled with playful, yet informative, poems all about bugs! Students will learn about dragonflies, ants, fireflies, ticks, and more. You can read through the whole book at once or use it throughout your unit by choosing one poem per day. I know your students will want to memorize them and chat along with you once you start reading this book in your classroom!

Bugs! by Shira Evans

If you’re looking for a non-fiction option with bright, colorful photographs, I know you’ll love this one! This book is from National Geographic and won’t disappoint. It’s written with emergent readers in mind, and it introduces many important vocabulary words. Students will definitely want to flip through this one on their own after you read aloud!

These are just a very small sampling of some of the books I like to use in my classroom when working on insect activities. You can check out all of my favorites here. You’ll find tons of great picture books and non-fiction options as well as books on specific types of insects, too!

Insect Activities Unit

As I mentioned, I’m a big fan of thematic teaching because it allows me to focus on a specific topic and weave activities into our day that align with it. Using a centralized theme in our group lessons, during center time, and throughout the day makes it easy to practice important skills while maintaining engagement. Each time we have a new theme, the kiddos eagerly perk up to listen and learn about our new topic! What could be better than that?! I actually have a whole unit that’s filled with activities to study bugs. Inside, you will find:

• Non-Fiction Reader: All About Insects
• Feed the Ladybug Letters & Beginning Sounds
• Bug Themed Letter Match Center
• Insect Addition & Subtraction Games
• Bug Measuring Math Center
• Insect Writing Craftivities and more!

The activities in this unit are perfect to use during center time in your classroom or for whole group learning. I love that they allow us to practice important math and literacy skills, while sticking with the bug theme! Oh, and as a bonus, this unit also covers weather as well as living and non-living themes. This means after you’ve finished up with your insect activities, you’ll be able to roll into a brand new theme and keep utilizing the included materials. Be sure to check them all out here!

Insect Activities for the Science Center

Do you have a science center in your classroom? If not, I highly recommend creating one! There are a lot of different ways to do this, but I am a fan of having some things available in your science center that support learning and allow for some hands-on examination. You can choose items to add that relate to your theme and allow students to explore independently. Not only is this a fascinating experience for them, but it also teaches responsibility with fragile materials and even how to care for living things.

When using insect activities in your classroom, you might consider getting an ant farm to add to your science center. These are so fascinating for young students! They will enjoy watching the ants dig tunnels, carry food, and go about their jobs. I like to give the students magnifying glasses to aid in their observations and have them draw pictures or write sentences about what they see.

Another fun option is to raise butterflies in your classroom. You can use a kit that sends caterpillars with instructions to you in the mail. Then, you and your students will watch as the caterpillars transform into butterflies! You can have students visit the science center to record observations weekly in a science journal. This is also a great opportunity to teach students how to look, but not touch, the growing caterpillars as they are fragile!

Finally, consider adding some real photos of insects and their habitats to your science center. You can also keep some non-fiction books in the center for students to flip through. Vocabulary cards and life cycle charts are another great item to put in this area. Adding a science center is sure to bring some fun to your classroom as you explore the world of insects together!

No-Prep Insect Activities

I think we can all agree that we need some go-to activities for when time is tight, but practice is still a must. Color by Code has always filled this need for me. It’s versatile, easy to differentiate, and best of all, is fun for students! This Insect Color by Code Bundle includes 4 different resources to target the following skills:

• letter recognition
• number identification
• sight words
• number sense skills

Inside, you’ll find ready-to-print pages that are perfect for instant centers, morning work, independent learning, and even homework assignments. Ready for the best part? These activities are editable! This means you’ll be able to use them for just about any skill you can think of. This feature is what makes them so great for differentiation. If you have kids working on different math skills, spelling words, or sight word lists, you can easily make custom pages for each one. I love this because it means everyone gets an activity perfectly aligned to their skill level!

And don’t worry, editing couldn’t be easier! I’ve included detailed instructions for editing in both PowerPoint and Adobe. All you need to do is type in your information, and it will auto-fill in the pages! These activities always come in handy when I find myself needing a few more practice pages to round out our lessons.

Give These Insect Activities a Try in Your Room

I hope these insect activities and learning ideas helped provide some inspiration as you prepare to teach this topic in your classroom. My best piece of advice for this theme, and really anything, is to embrace variety! The more ways we can engage students in learning, the more likely they are to succeed. So, choose a variety of learning activities, hands-on centers, no-prep printables, and interesting bug experiences! I know that your kids will be absolutely hooked on this theme! As a reminder, you can find all of the resources mentioned here in my shop, along with many more. Happy Teaching!

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