Printable Insect Activities for Kids

It might be too hot and buggy where you live to go outside and observe real insects, but these printable insect activities are lots of fun for those kids who are really into bugs.

This little printable insect book from Hey Kelly Marie is a 12 page book kids can color and use to learn the names of some basic bugs like dragonflies, moths and praying mantises.

For older kids, Playdough to Plato has a printable bug book where kids can do research about different insects and record their findings.

Simply Everyday Mom has cute printable bug flashcards for kids to learn the basic names, while Stay at Home Educator has good printable fact cards to extend the learning.

Color some more bugs with these color by number printables from Homemade Heather. These include a grasshopper, fly, ant, butterfly and other cuties, and will help with color and number recognition as well. 123 Homeschool 4 Me also has some bug coloring pages, and these include writing practice with the names of the bugs included.

Or grab the insect I spy printable from Kindergarten Worksheets and Games, which can be colored as kids find the insects, or you can print it in color and just use it for counting. Easy Peasy Learners has dot marker printables for insects, too, that you can print in color or black and white if you want to add more coloring to the activity.

Even if it’s too hot to go outside, you can still get some movement in with these printable bug movement cards from Homeschool Share. Get your kiddos to wriggle like a worm, tiptoe like a spider, creep like a slug, twirl like a ladybug and more.

Picklebums has a cute catch a bug printable game that’s low prep. You just need to print the game pieces and cut out the bugs, and make a little die with the colors to use for the game.

Make an Insect Hotel to House Bugs in Winter

Fun Printable Insect Activities

Fun Bug Learning Activities

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Fun Bug Learning Activities

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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