Bugs Flashcards

Practice bug activities with these amazing insect flashcards! Learn about all types of insects including ant, bee, beetle, caterpillar, butterfly, fly, dragonfly, spider, ladybug, snail, worm, and grasshopper! Cut out these bug flashcards with or without their corresponding vocabulary words to play matching games and more!

Bugs Flashcards (no article) DOWNLOAD Pack 1 (Pre-k level / Kindergarten level)

Pack 1 comes with all insect flashcards and their vocabulary words in easy to read bold lettering. The vocabulary words in this pack come without any indefinite articles at the start of the word. These flashcards are perfect for young learners in preschool or kindergarten.

Bugs Flashcards (with article) DOWNLOAD Pack 2 (Kindergarten / Elementary level)

Pack 2 is similar to pack 1 apart from the fact that they come with their indefinite article. So instead of ‘ladybug’, they read ‘a ladybug’. Feel free to use the flashcards that work best for you in your classroom. These cards are great for kindergarten and early elementary students.

As an added extra, I have also made a bugs poster! I like to put up the poster at the end of the month to avoid any cheating during bug activities in class. A great tip is to print and laminate small versions of the poster and give it to the children so they can identify bugs a home too!

If you need any help downloading the flashcards, or would like to see a step by step guide of how to make flashcards click here!

FREE Bugs Poster DOWNLOAD!

How to teach bugs in kindergarten!

I recommend introducing the shorter insect names like ‘ant’ and ‘bee’ first and then progressing into the more difficult cards. Try to introduce them slowly using simple sentences. Talk about the insect’s size and color. Try to keep a note of what you taught so you can ask your children again next time. When teaching ESL students, feel free to use the following sentences as a good starting point

Suggested Sentence Patterns
An ant is strong.
A bee makes honey.
A beetle is black.
A fly is small.
A spider makes a web.
A caterpillar is green.
A butterfly is beautiful.
A dragonfly is long.
A grasshopper can jump!
A worm can go underground.

Of course, you can speak using more difficult sentences, but as this subject is usually taught in spring, the children may still be new to English. Using these sentences helps the children learn sentence order and also be-verbs. If the sentences are too difficult, just reference the color or talk about the insect being big or small. You can also talk about how many legs the insects have : D

I like to use cheap sticky magnet sheeting with the flashcards so I can stick them to the whiteboard easily. It’s also fun to use a picture of a garden for the background so you can add more information. Try drawing a garden on your whiteboard and placing the bugs where their natural habitat would be. You can ask the children where you think the bugs live. It’s very useful for the teacher to understand how much the children know, so try to gauge how much they know about bugs in your first lesson.

To back up what they have learned, make sure you do a bugs song and a bug story! As for the bug craft, there are thousands of ideas online, but my favorite is bees made from toilet roll cores! You can make the craft easier by pre-cutting what you need and making the craft step by step with your children.

Suggested bug activities!

For an activity, I found a real-life bug hunt was the most exciting. Buy a large magnifying glass and take your students to the playground. If there is a rock or a flower pot, usually there are plenty of creepy crawlies underneath! If there are no bugs, take the flashcards outside and hide the flashcards to have a bug hunt : )

Make sure you take a camera so you can make a display for your classroom! Your kids will enjoy looking at it and revisiting their memory of what fun they had. Even better is when parents have an observation day and the children are talking to their parents about what bugs they found!

Once you use these flashcards, any teachers or parents are welcome to send me any feedback or suggestions on how to improve them!

Suggested Grammar & Phrases: Be-verbs / 3rd person singular

Questions	Answers
What bug is it?	It’s a (bug).
What color is the (bug)?	The (bug) is (color).
How many legs does a (bug) have?	The (bug) has (number) legs.
Where does the (bug) live?	The (bug) lives (location).
What bug do you like?	I like (bug)s.