Bugs & Insects Centers for Preschool | Morning Tubs / Bins

1. Bugs and insects fine motor practice mats (5 mats)

   To prepare the mats for use, print and then laminate them for durability. You will need to supply children with pom-poms, gems, buttons, beads, beans or other small objects that will fit inside the circles.
   Children will place a small object in each of the circles.

2. Bugs and insects pre-writing tracing practice (9 cards)

   To prepare the pre-writing tracing cards for use, print and then laminate them for durability. The cards can be kept in a book-like format by making a hole in the top left corner and securing together with a key ring or a pipe-cleaner.
   Using a white board (dry-erase) marker, children will trace the lines on the card starting on the left and progressing towards the right.
   Other ideas: have children trace the path on a given card using play dough, pipe cleaners, yarn or sequins.

Bugs & Insects Centers: Literacy Activities

1. Worm alphabet tracing practice – upper and lower case (26 cards)

   To prepare the alphabet tracing cards for use, print and then laminate them for durability. The cards can be kept in a book-like format by making a hole in the top left corner and securing together with a key ring or a pipe-cleaner.
   Children will use a white board (dry-erase) marker to trace the letters on the card, following the directional arrows.
   Other ideas: have children trace the letters on a given card using beans, play dough, pipe cleaners, yarn or sequins.

2. Ladybug spots alphabet match (26 cards)

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces.
   Children will identify and match the upper and lower case letters.

3. Butterfly and flowers beginning sounds match (26 pages)

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out the cards. You will need to supply children with some clothes pegs/pins.
   Children will say the name of each picture and identify the beginning sound. If it starts with the focus sound, they will clip a peg/pin on it.

4. Snails and jars rhyming sort

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces.
   Children will say the word for each picture on the snails and sort them to the jar with which they rhyme.

5. Spider CVC word match (5 cards)

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces. Attach the picture cards to bottle caps to make it easier for children to pick and place on the mats (optional).
   Children will pick a word from the mat and read it. They will then find the matching picture and place it on top of the word.

6. Flowers and bees sight word build a word (40 pre-primer sight words cards)

   To prepare the activity for use, print all the pages, laminate them for durability and then cut out the cards. Cut out the bees. You can glue them on to the ends of clothes pegs/pins (optional).
   Children will read the word on a card and build it using the bees.
   Other ideas: children can spell the words using Scrabble letters, magnetic letters, mini alphabet erasers, play dough, or simply trace the word with an erasable marker

1. Worm number tracing cards 1-10

   To prepare the number tracing cards for use, print and then laminate them for durability. The cards can be kept in a book-like format by making a hole in the top left corner and securing together with a key ring or a pipe-cleaner.
   Children will use a white board (dry-erase) marker to trace the number on the card, following the directional arrows.
   Other ideas: have children trace the numbers on a given card using play dough, pipe cleaners, yarn or sequins. Use the cards as counting cards: make a hole at the bottom of each card and thread a pipe cleaner through; have children string beads on the pipe cleaner to show how many. Children could also use pink play dough to make the corresponding number of worms.

2. Ladybug spots counting 1-10

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces. You will need to supply children with black pom-poms, counters or play dough.
   Children will add the number of spots shown on each card using the items you have provided them with.

3. Bees and hive number sense 1-10

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces. Attach transparent velcro to each number representation piece to make it easier for children to keep the pieces on the number mat (optional).
   Children will identify and match all the number representations on the bees to the correct beanstalk. Introduce only a couple of numbers to begin with and, once children are familiar with the activity and have gained confidence, more numbers can be added.
   Other ideas: glue the bees on to clothes pegs/pins to make it a fine motor building activity.

4. Bugs and insects sorting by size: large, medium, small

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the page for durability. Cut out all the pieces. Attach transparent velcro to the objects to make it easier for children to keep the bugs on the jars (optional).
   Children will determine the size of each bug and sort it to the corresponding jar.

5. Bugs 2D shape match (12 shapes)

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out the cards. You will need to supply children with some clothes pegs/pins.
   Children will clip a peg/pin on the flower with a bug that matches the shape shown on the card.

6. Flowers and butterflies color match (11 colors)

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces.
   Children will match the butterflies to the matching colored flower. You may also like to provide children with objects from your home or classroom and ask them sort them to the corresponding colors.

7. Which picture is different? Bugs and insects theme (4 cards)

   To prepare the cards for use, print, laminate them for durability and then cut them apart. You will need to supply children with clothes pegs or paper clips for this activity in order for them to show their answers.
   Children will clip a peg on the picture that is different.

8. What doesn’t belong? Bugs and insects theme (4 cards)

   To prepare the cards for use, print, laminate them for durability and then cut them apart. You will need to supply children with clothes pegs or paper clips for this activity in order for them to show their answers.
   The aim of this activity is for children to clip a peg on the picture that doesn’t belong.

9. Sorting bugs with and without wings

   To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces. Attach transparent velcro to the back of each bug to make it easier for children to keep the pieces on the jars (optional).
   Children will identify and match all the bugs to the correct jars.

10. Butterfly life cycle sequencing cards (4-part sequencing)

    To prepare the cards for use, print, laminate them for durability and then cut them apart. Attach velcro to the back of each picture and box (optional).
    Children will order the cards to show the sequence of the butterfly life cycle.

11. Bugs and insects AB patterns (5 cards)

    To prepare the cards for use, print, laminate them for durability and then cut them apart. Attach the pictures cut out from the bottom of the page to the end of a clothes peg using a hot glue gun to make this a fine motor building activity. Alternatively, you can use velcro.
    Children will identify the pattern on the cards and will clip the correct picture in the empty box to complete the pattern.

12. Bugs and insects shadow matching (12 card pairs)

    To prepare the activity for use, print and then laminate the pages for durability. Cut out all the pieces.
    The aim of this activity is for children to match the pictures to their shadows.

Happy Teaching 🙂

Your children will have so much fun learning with the Bugs & Insects Centers for Preschool packet!

Click here to view other center activities for preschool and kindergarten.