10 Lovely Ladybug Activities for Preschoolers

| Last Updated: April 14, 2023

Do your preschoolers find ladybugs interesting? Then this list is definitely for you! Piquing a child’s interest is one of the first steps towards learning. 

Today’s list will absolutely grab those ladybug lovers’ attention and will help keep them motivated on mastering any skill and lesson you have on hand.

Great Ladybug Activities for Preschoolers

Reading | Language | Comprehension

1. Books About Ladybugs

When it comes to preschoolers, you can never go wrong with books! They’re an absolute classic that most kids love and enjoy. Reading and comprehension are extremely important skills where they can widen their vocabulary and develop their imagination, language, and emotions.

You can use books as a way to introduce various lessons to your preschoolers. Be it fiction or nonfiction books about ladybugs, there is a lot in store for them. For instance, nonfiction ladybug books can be a great aid for your science classes, as they mostly talk about a ladybug’s life cycle.

On the other hand, fiction books can hugely help kids to relate to ladybugs or even learn tons of other lessons depending on what the story is about. The possibilities are endless when it comes to reading!

Check out some fantastic Books About Ladybugs and get yourself a copy to read along with the children in your next class.

Sensory | Fine Motor | Math

2. Ladybug Sensory Bin

Photo credit: frugalmomeh.com

Young children mostly learn about the world through their senses. This is exactly why sensory play and activities are highly encouraged, as it sparks their curiosity and leads them to discoveries and explorations that increase their learning on various topics.

You can use the ladybug sensory bin as an addition to your insect or ladybug study. It can also stay in your preschool classroom even after use so that the kids can play with it later. 

There are a ton of ways to use it, too. For instance, you can ask the kids to count the ladybugs or other objects in the bin. They can also sort the items, play hide and seek with the ladybugs, or play freely however they’d want to!

Materials Needed:

  • Small Ladybug Toys
  • Sensory Bin or Tray
  • Moss or Artificial Grass
  • Real or Artificial Plants
  • Sticks
  • Rocks or Stones

Found this activity interesting? Check out frugalmomeh.com for more details on this cool activity!

Sensory | Fine Motor | Science

3. Ladybug Life Cycle with Playdough

Photo credit: funlearningforkids.com

Looking for a fun ladybug activity to spice up your preschool science classes? The kids will definitely love this one! It is a fantastic way to learn about the different stages of the ladybug life cycle in a truly enjoyable manner.

Before you start with the playdough craft, look at the life cycle cards and briefly discuss each stage and name. Afterwards, ask the kids to make a model for each of the stages of the ladybug life cycle. 

Once they’re done, you can put their works on a tray with the reference cards and go over each stage and name for the last time. This is a perfect follow-up activity after your ladybug lesson discussion!

Materials Needed:

  • Ladybug Life Cycle Cards (for reference)
  • Green, Yellow, Black, Orange, and Red Playdough
  • Black Pipe Cleaners
  • Black Buttons
  • Wiggly Eyes

Sounds absolutely entertaining and engaging, doesn’t it? Discover more about this fun activity and a whole lot more at funlearningforkids.com.

Alphabet Recognition | Language | Fine Motor

4. Ladybug Alphabet Match

Photo credit: iheartcraftythings.com

This letter-matching activity is an excellent way for your preschoolers to master the uppercase and lowercase letters in a super fun way! Alphabet recognition is a huge step towards important language skills such as reading and writing.

It’s easy to prepare, as well. All you need is to print out the Ladybug Alphabet Match template. Then, write some lowercase letters on the black labels using a white chalk marker. If you don’t have black labels, you can always paint them black using acrylic paint before writing on them.

Each ladybug has several letters on it for children to search through. Finally, let the children take one label at a time and match it on the ladybug. Let them talk about each letter they’re holding while matching them. Sounds like the perfect alphabet practice, right?

Materials Needed:

  • Ladybug Alphabet Match Printable
  • .75-inch Black Round Labels (or white labels painted black)
  • White Chalk Marker

You definitely shouldn’t miss this one! Visit iheartcraftythings.com and learn more about the Ladybug Alphabet Match.

Shape Recognition | Cognitive | Fine Motor

5. Ladybug Shape Matching Mats

Photo credit: funwithmama.com

Finding more fun ways to teach the beginning shapes to your preschoolers? Search no more, this Ladybug Shape Matching Mats is definitely the one! This activity is a fantastic way to develop shape recognition along with their fine motor skills as they cut and paste the matching shapes.

Don’t worry, it’s also not difficult to prepare! You can start by printing out all the shapes on white cardstock. It’s highly recommended to laminate all the pieces for durability and reusability.

After this, all that’s left is having your kids use the mats. Ask them to place the colored ladybug on the black and white ladybug on the leaf. Let them recite the name of each shape as they match them together.

Materials Needed:

  • Ladybug Shape Matching Mats template
  • Card stock (to print on)
  • Laminator
  • Scissors

Excited to have your preschoolers work on this awesome activity? Go and check out funwithmama.com for more details.

Math | Sensory | Motor Skills

6. Ladybug Counting Window Activity

Photo credit: modernpreschool.com

This activity will surely leave a huge smile on your preschoolers’ faces as they master their number recognition and counting skills! It is also a great sensory activity so the kids won’t get bored easily with it.

First off, take your foam craft sheets and cut out the ladybug parts you need. Then, cut out the numbers on another piece of foam sheet. Put the foam pieces in a huge container filled with water.

Finally, let the children pick a number and stick it to the window. Have them build the ladybug beside the number and add the corresponding spots to the body one at a time. Then, take everything down and play as much as you want!

Materials Needed:

  • Foam Craft Sheets (red and black)
  • Water
  • Huge Container (for the water)

Make your preschoolers giggle as they take part in this fun-tastic activity! You can learn more about it at modernpreschool.com.

Math | Cognitive | Fine Motor

7. Ladybug Roll and Cover Math Game

Photo credit: funlearningforkids.com

This activity will absolutely help your kids practice counting and even basic math operations such as addition. On top of that, they get to practice it in a very entertaining way! It’s also very easy to prepare, and you won’t need many materials either.

All you need is to print the Ladybug Roll and Cover Math Game template and prepare the dice and small black buttons to be used. Ask the kids to roll the die and cover that many spots on the ladybug with buttons.

For more advanced lessons, you can ask them to roll two dice, see where it lands, and add the two numbers. The sum will be how many spots they would need to cover.

Materials Needed:

  • Ladybug Roll and Cover Math Game (printable page)
  • Small Black Buttons
  • Dice

Does this sound like something you would use to level up your math classes? Then, make sure to visit funlearningforkids.com for more details.

Creativity | Concentration | Fine Motor

8. Easy Paper Plate Ladybug Craft

Photo credit: nontoygifts.com

This simple paper plate craft can be an awesome icebreaker activity for your lessons on insects or ladybugs. Most young kids will be able to participate in it, too, since it’s very easy to make. It’s a very good way to showcase their creativity and practice their concentration and fine motor skills.

First off, ask the kids to paint the paper plate red and black. You can help kids by using a pencil and tracing a separation line on the paper plate. Use a pom pom to paint black parts in the middle of the wings, as well as the spots.

Next, glue the googly eyes, then punch two holes at the top of the black part. Thread a pipe cleaner through them and you’re done!

Materials Needed:

  • Paper Plate
  • Red and Black Paint
  • Pom Pom
  • Clothespin
  • Googly Eyes
  • Glue
  • Hole Puncher
  • Pipe Cleaner

Feel free to check out the nontoygifts.com website for further details about this cute and fun craft.

Counting | Number Recognition | Motor Skills

9. Bottle Top Ladybugs Number Game

Photo credit: messylittlemonster.com

If you’re on the lookout for a fun-filled educational outdoor activity for your preschoolers, then this activity is definitely for you! It’s a fantastic way to help your preschoolers practice their counting skills, along with their number recognition and motor skills.

It does require some preparation, but it’ll surely be worth it once you see them running around and having a great time while learning. First off, take ten red bottle tops and use a black marker to turn them into ladybugs. 

Make sure the spots you add to each ladybug have a different number between 1-10. Next, print the numbered leaves template into a green card. Laminate them for better durability and reusability.

Finally, hide the ladybugs and numbered leaves around your schoolyard or garden and have the children look for them. Afterwards, you can ask them to match the numbered leaves to the ladybugs with the corresponding number of spots. They can even arrange them in order!

Materials Needed:

  • Number Leaves (printed onto green card)
  • 10 Red Bottle Tops (or paint them red)
  • Black Marker
  • Laminator

Discover more information about this activity and a whole lot more at messylittlemonster.com.

Visual Perceptual | Fine Motor | Bilateral Coordination

10. Ladybug Lacing

Lacing activities are a fantastic way to help develop children’s bilateral coordination, motor planning, visual perceptual, and fine motor skills. It will also help them practice pre-requisite skills for shoe tying and even sewing. If this sounds like something you are looking for, then this activity will definitely suit your needs!

All you need to do is download and print the Ladybug Lacing Card template on cardstock or any thick paper and cut out the pieces. You can also choose to laminate the pieces for better durability. Then, glue them together in place. For the holes around the ladybug’s body, you can use a hole puncher.

Once done, you can put the ladybug and the shoelace together on a large tray. Give one tray for each child and let them have fun learning and practicing how to lace.

Materials Needed:

  • Ladybug Lacing Card Template
  • Cardstock (or any thick paper)
  • Hole Puncher
  • Shoelace (or any long lace)
  • Large Plastic Tray

Visit livingmontessorinow.com for more details about this amazing activity.

Conclusion

If your preschoolers are crazy about ladybugs like most kids are, then you’ll definitely find a perfect activity or two on today’s list. They’re awesome tools you can use to introduce insects, talk about ladybugs, or even develop math, language, and tons of other skills! 

At the end of the day, what’s important is that we make learning fun and motivating for our kids. Thank you for stopping by, come back and check out our other activity articles soon!



Hi, I'm Amanda! Welcome to Education Outside! Im passionate about educating young minds and helping parents/teachers by providing easy and effective teaching resources. Check out all of my teaching resources on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

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