Insect Study for Toddlers with Free Printable {Learn & Play Link Up}

We are learning about insects this month! And because I'm exhausted most of the time doing separate activities for the boys, this time, I tried having a themed unit which both boys can enjoy.  So while Mavi is learning about insects, Vito is learning as well, but in a different level.  I will showcase Mavi's activities later on. In this post, allow me to present to you simple activities that will expose or introduce your little toddlers to insects.

So for Vito, I prepared 3 simple activities for him to enjoy. These are easy to prepare and I provided a printable file for the matching activity for your convenience.

Insect Sensory Bin
This is a no-brainer.  I think all kids love sensory tubs!  The contents of my bin are:

• Safari Toob Insects
• Black Beans 
• Butterfly figures from Wild Republic

In less than a minute, I have a learning toy for Vito already!  Oh my, he was sooooo giddy when he saw this!

Allow your little ones to explore all that there is in the bin. Make sure to prepare your vacuum cleaner for the mess!  But please, SUPERVISE YOUR CHILD ALL THE TIME.  Vito mouths objects so I watch him like a hawk to make sure he won't swallow any of the beans.

Insect Matching Cards

 

This is matching the insect figures to that of an abstract material, like the cards.  I wanted to use picture books, to avoid printing. But I realized that Vito can match objects better if the pictures look exactly the same as those figures.  So I took photos of our insect figures and created matching cards from them.

Yes, Vito can identify animals now, especially in books! So I experimented if he can do it with in matching cards.  Like the cards? You can download it from here.

I added spider even if it's NOT an insect because this is what Vito sees everyday outside our house.  He can identify spider and calls them "der".  So with an animal figure and a matching card, I tried if he can match them.... and he did!!

So my conclusion here is that, for his age, he can only match cards of those he is familiar with in real life.  Like the butterfly, the ladybird and the spider.  The rest, he ignored them.   That's a good start though.  We'll work on this step by step.  Three matching cards for a little toddler and I'll add one card as he progresses.

Bug Hunting
Of course, the best way to learn is to have a real life encounter with these creepy crawlers.  I took out the boys in the yard and we searched for bugs.  Unfortunately, the bugs decided to hibernate, so we only collected ants!

Even so, Vito was still happy observing the tiny creatures!

You might also want to check The Complete Guide to Insect Study for Grade-Schoolers from here.

Welcome to the Learn & Play Link Party!
My favourites for this week's linky are:

Montessori Fine Motor Activities from Montessori Nature
Learning Begins at Home from Just Another Mom
Best DIY Light Table Tutorials and Ideas from Wonder Baby
Summer Sidewalk Chalk Kids from Child Led Life
 

Now it’s time for this week’s link party! This is a BRAND new link up for all blog posts that include learn and play activities and hands-on education for kids. We are excited to read your blog posts and to see what you have to share! Please link up below and grab our button to display on your blog.
If you are a blogger, share your family friendly posts here. We are looking for things which include:

• Montessori Education
• Homeschool
• Sensory Play
• Tot and Preschool Trays
• Fine and Gross Motor Activities
• Kids in the Kitchen
• Healthy Recipes for Kids
• Arts and Crafts
• Natural Living
• Free Educational Printables
• Family-Oriented Activities
• Healthy Living

Your post will be featured on each of our blogs where we will pick our favourite posts every other week. That means there is more of a chance that you will be featured!

Everyone, please meet our link party hosts:

Christian Montessori Blog ~ Please visit our CMN FB group ~ Pinterest

Vanessa from Mama’s Happy Hive~FB~Pinterest~Instagram~Twitter

Jennifer from Study at Home Mama~FB~Pinterest~Instagram~Twitter

Marie from Child Led Life~FB~Pinterest~Instagram~Twitter

Jae from Pinay Homeschooler~FB~Pinterest~Instagram~Twitter

Heather from Golden Reflections Blog~FB~Pinterest~Instagram~Twitter

Renae from Every Star is Different~FB~Pinterest

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