Insects are the largest group amongst the arthropods. Here are just some to get you brainstorming before you challenge your little ones about how many they know:
*grasshoppers
*fleas
*lice
*mosquitos
*flies
*bees
*butterflies
*moths
*praying mantis
*dragonflies
*mayflies
*beetles
*fireflies (lightning bugs)
*wasps
*hornets
Insects' bodies have 3 parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. On the head it is usually one pair of antennae and two compound eyes. They have multiple parts to their mouths which include a pair of mandibles. The thorax has 3 sections or segments and each has 1 pair of legs. If an insect has wings those are attached in the 2nd and/or 3rd segments but there are many insects without wings. Metamorphosis varies among insects with some having incomplete (larvae stage like grasshoppers) and others have complete (transformation from caterpillar to pupa to adult like butterflies).
The worksheet or activity sheet can be used many different ways. The main way that I wanted the children to use this was for their worksheet copy to be cut into the strips/rows. Then each student needs to use the single-hole puncher to punch holes in the first one shown and then any others that match it.
Gripping the hole-puncher helps develop strength in their dominant hand that they use to hold a pencil, crayon, and paintbrush. This is so vital for littles when they are between 3-7 years old. ECE teachers can have children color the insects first before doing the hole-punch matches.
It also might help them cognitively to have them only color the first one of each row and the subsequent ones that match instead of coloring all that are pictured.
This activity sheet took about 45 minutes to 1 hour to create in Google Docs. Maybe less time but definitely use a copy and paste method of placing the clipart images in order to save lots of typing time! There are so many different kinds of insects that you could put a different stack out for the kids every day of your insect unit!
Below is a photo from a recent post I did about setting up a sensory explore station with jumbo tweezers and little containers along with some nature items to give kids a simulated outdoor scene for more insect matching practice that can strengthen their pinching fine motor skills. A copy of the worksheet was cut into the individual boxed insect pics for the children to do the sorting.
Another variation for using the worksheet is a pencil (or colored pencil or crayon or marker) task to review by x-ing out each insect within a row that doesn't match the very first one shown. What doesn't belong is important cognitively. Children need to puzzle or reason out why one image is correct while a different one isn't.
Good luck helping little ones figure out the world we live in! Also stop and think about other worksheets/activity sheets that you find at the store or online that can be altered and used in a way that builds other concepts or skills in your students. For the insect picture strips recognizing the differences in the 6 insects shown throughout these strips is important for science. One-to-one correspondence (matching) is a math numbering concept. And using a single-hole puncher to grip and punch small dots out of matching insects is a vital writing tool fine motor skill developer.
Having a passion for ECE children and curriculum:
Becca S
Illinois teacher certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3
FACS grades 6-12
and approval:
General science grades 5-8
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