All About Bugs: An Insect Lesson Plan

This preschool insect lesson plan will teach your class basic insect facts. Your students will learn that an insect has six legs and three body parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen.

• The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
• Insect poster or picture
• Two printed cricket pictures per student plus one for you
• Tissue paper (black, green, and purple)
• Glue
• Crayons

Cut tissue paper into squares before doing this lesson with your students. It would also be a good idea to make one sample project beforehand to use as an example. Layer the different colors of tissue paper to try and show the colors in a cricket.

Bring in a poster or a picture of a cricket. Ask the students to identify what it is. Ask the students to imitate the sound of a cricket.

Explain to your students that crickets are insects. Show your students the insect poster or picture, and point out that all insects have six legs. Count them together. Then, tell your students that all insects have three body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Point out where these body parts are located on an insect. Have volunteers come up and locate and name the three body parts.

Show students the cover of The Very Quiet Cricket. Ask them what insect is on the cover. Talk about what the cricket looks like. Have students make predictions about the story.

Read The Very Quiet Cricket to your students. Stop and discuss what problem the little cricket has. At the end of the story, talk about how the little cricket was able to solve his problem.

Explain to your students that they will be creating their own crickets. Show the example that you made, and tell students they will be gluing tissue paper onto their crickets. Show students how you layered the different colors of tissue paper. Pass out cricket pictures, tissue paper, and glue. Review where the insect’s body parts are. Allow students to use the tissue paper how they choose. Circulate around the room and assist as needed.

Pass out the second set of cricket pictures. Have your students color the head green, the thorax red, and the abdomen yellow.

After teaching this preschool insect lesson plan, your students should be able to identify where the three parts of an insect are located. Your students should also be able to identify that an insect has six legs.

Have students point out the head, thorax, and abdomen on other insects.

Learn about the life cycle of an insect. You can read about a life cycle lesson using The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle right here at Bright Hub!