10-Minute Easy Ladybug Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten- Perfect for Spring
Let’s face it, kids love LADYBUGS! Make them happy this spring with this super easy, 10 minute ladybug craft for preschoolers and kindergartners.
I’ve learned from littles that the craft doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect, but it does need to be EASY and FUN! So that is exactly what we have for you in this post.
In this post, you will learn:
- Why it’s good for children’s development to do crafts
- What materials you will need to make the ladybug craft
- Step-by-step directions showing how to make the preschool ladybug craft
- Quality ladybug books that will engage preschoolers and kindergartners
- Activities for children who want to keep learning about bugs
Why should preschoolers do this ladybug craft?
Let’s start with the “why”. You’ll be able to see many reasons why your preschooler should make this ladybug craft with you.
Study bugs in spring and summer with your preschooler
We are entering the perfect time to explore and study ladybugs! The temperature is warmer, the sun is out longer, and everyone is excited to get out of the house!
Getting your kids outside looking for ladybugs gets them off of screens, getting exercise, breathing fresh air, and soaking in some much needed Vitamin D.
If searching for ladybugs in your backyard is “so last week” for your kids, take them to a park, nature trail, or wildlife preserve. A change of scenery really can amp up the excitement!
Incite curiosity in your budding scientist by giving them some scientific tools. A bug catcher, observation container, and magnifying glass will make your little one feel pretty big and official. In order to accurately represent a ladybug while making their craft, children have to know what ladybugs look like!
Here are some investigative questions to ask your preschool scientist while they are studying the ladybugs they caught:
- What colors do you notice on the ladybugs?
- How many dots do they have?
- Do all the ladybugs have the same number of dots?
- What are the body parts of a ladybug?
- How do they move? Fly? Crawl? Slither?
- What is something larger than a ladybug?
- What is something smaller than a ladybug?
- Where do ladybugs live? What does their environment need?
Little scientists can also record their data and take notes about their findings. Give them a clipboard, paper, and a pencil and/or crayons. Let them draw what they’ve observed. Your child can use their notes to help them when they paint their ladybug craft.
Preschool fine motor skills development
The small muscles in the hands and fingers have to get buff before kids can write and draw with control. There are different types of fine motor skills that children need and here are some examples:
- Thumb and forefinger pinch
- Movement from palm to fingers
- Squeezing
- Rolling between fingers and thumb
- Open and close movement
- Grasp
- Grip on pencils/silverware/paint brushes/etc.
- Hand-eye coordination with small objects
While children are working on their ladybug craft, they are actively building those tiny muscles and developing fine motor skills. Our preschool ladybug craft doesn’t include ALL of those fine motor skills listed above, but it does hit on many of them.
This craft involves some cutting, which helps children develop their open and close movement of the hand and fingers. Painting works on their grip and hand-eye coordination.
Preschoolers and kindergartners will gain stronger skills in their thumb and forefinger pinch while gluing on the eyes. They may also need to move the eyes from their palm to fingers in order to get them in the correct position to glue onto the paper plate. And of course, children will need to use their squeezing skills to squeeze out dabs of glue for the eyes.
When your child uses the hole puncher to make holes for the legs, they are refining their fine motor skills of grasping, squeezing, and the open and close movement of their hands. Twisting the pipe cleaners to fasten them to the paper plate for legs encourages kids to roll the pipe cleaner between their fingers and thumb- working on yet another fine motor skill.
Okay, so it’s clear that such a simple craft can pack in so many fine motor skills that are often overlooked! I LOVE these sneaky ways to get kids to practice these skills while having fun! This ladybug craft is so wonderful for building muscle development of preschoolers and kindergartners hands and fingers.
Artistic expression fit for preschoolers
We all love a good final crafting product- they’re cute and we want to display them! But it’s so important for kids to express themselves artistically through their own creations. This ladybug activity has a bit of both worlds.
Of course, when we do a ladybug craft the final product is meant to look like a ladybug. In that sense, kids aren’t using their imaginations to openly create what comes to their minds. They do get to freely express their interpretation of a ladybug while painting the body, placing the eyes where they prefer, and even in how bendy or wiggly they want to make the legs.
I’ll admit this isn’t the best activity to have children freely express their artistic talents, but we still can encourage them in their creativity while making this ladybug craft.
This ladybug craft for preschool is FUN!
Cutting= fun!
Hole punching= fun!
Painting= SUPER FUN!!
Young children love these types of activities! They feel accomplished and mature using “big kid” tools like scissors and the hole puncher. Their sensory needs can be met through painting (especially if they finger paint) and manipulating the pipe cleaners.
Plus, whether we like it or not, preschoolers and kindergartners live for making messes! You can keep the workspace relatively clean during this ladybug craft, but let’s face it, painting is a messy endeavor. But it brings so much joy to children!
For an even quicker bug craft, try this 5-minute grasshopper craft for preschoolers!
It’s the cutest little bug, and it is so FAST to make! Check it out now!
Materials needed for the preschool ladybug craft
This craft is simple and has relatively few needed materials. Most of the items you will need will most likely already be in your arts and crafts materials if you already do these types of crafts with your kids.
For the ladybug craft you will need:
- Paper plate
- Safety scissors
- Red and black paint in your choice of:
- Watercolors
- Acrylic paint
- Finger paint
- Any other preferred paint choice
- Paint brushes
- Cup with water
- Single hole puncher
- 6 black pipe cleaners
- Bottle of liquid glue
- 2 googly eyes
Ladybug craft instructions
Preschoolers will be able to easily follow instructions for this ladybug craft. If there are tips for making it easier, or alternative options I will mention them below the general step-by-step instructions.
- Take your paper plate and scissors. Use the scissors to cut off about ¼ of the flat edge of the plate. This will make a more defined head for your ladybug.
- Use black paint and make a curved line from one side of the plate to the other, connecting the edges where you cut.
- Paint the head black. Give a few minutes for the paint to dry.
- Rinse your paint brush, or use another brush to paint the rest of the plate red. Let the red paint dry a bit.
- Use the black paint again to make a vertical line, defining each of the ladybug’s wings.
- Make black dots with the paint.
- Use the hole puncher to make 3 holes on each side of the plate.
- Stick about an inch of a black pipe cleaner into one of the holes, and twist each side of the pipe cleaner together to wrap it around and fasten it to the plate.
- Repeat step 8 with the rest of the pipe cleaners.
- Use the liquid glue to attach 2 googly eyes to the black head.
- Admire your work!
Children’s books that support learning about ladybugs
If you are an early childhood education nerd like me, you have to be obsessed with children’s books! There are books about literally every topic, and it’s so fun to find books that turn into favorites with your family. Here are some great preschool books about ladybugs to keep your child’s interest and learning going.
- The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
- Ladybugs by Gail Gibbons
- Five Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
- Ladybird Moves Home by Richard Fowler
- The Very Lazy Ladybird by Isobel Finn
- Are You a Ladybug? by Judy Allen
- Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis
- Ladybugs by Lisa Amstutz
Extend learning about ladybugs and other insects
If this ladybug craft has inspired your little one to be a budding entomologist, extend your child’s learning with crafts and activities about other bugs and insects!
Other bug crafts
Right now my kids have a little bug zoo with their bug crafts they’ve been making! When kids get on a kick about something, it’s hard to get them to want to do anything else. Take advantage of this and encourage them to make some bug friends for their ladybug.
Here are some other ideas for bug crafts:
- Grasshopper
- Butterfly
- Bee
- Spider
- Ant
- Cricket
- Dragonfly
Insect discovery
Utilize your kids’ bug catcher and container for more than just ladybugs! Observe the insects in your environment and have your little one talk about their observations. You could even have them write and draw about the different types of insects they find in a Bug Journal. I have created one for you, and you can get it for FREE by signing up below!
Bug counting
This one is so simple! Count the number of bugs you find. Sort them by species and count how many of each type of insect you found. Use the bug graph to collect and analyze your data. Not only can your preschooler or kindergartner be a little entomologist, they can also be a tiny statistician!
Your little one can practice their counting with this cute Counting Ladybugs cut and paste activity! Get it for free here!
Tell me what you think of this ladybug craft for preschoolers and kindergarteners!!
I have no doubt that you and your child will love this preschool ladybug craft! Let me know below what your child loved about it and give me a request for another type of bug craft.
