Learn about bees in a fun way with free bee coloring pages. Perfect to pair with a science unit of study on bees. These printable bee coloring sheets are perfect for kids of all ages. Explore the secret world of bees with these fun printables!
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There is no denying that bees play an important role in our ecosystems. Fun fact, honey bees are considered a keystone species. Meaning, many living things depend on bees in order to survive.
Fun Bee Activities for Kids
Free printable coloring page pdf files can be downloaded, printed off, then colored in using a variety of art supplies.
Bring along a clipboard and head outside to watch bees pollinate while your kids color. Even better bring along watercolor paints and turn these bee coloring sheets into a fun art project.
Helpful Tip: Print coloring pages off onto cardstock instead of regular printer paper to create a sturdier sheet for painting.
Honey Bee Coloring Pages
Bee hives have three different types of honey bees: worker bees, drones, and one queen bee. Each type of bee plays an important role in keeping the colony alive and healthy.
Did you know a honey bees wings beat 200 times per second and they can fly 15 miles per hour? Yup, these tiny insects are truly amazing. Its no wonder they are able to pollinate so many flowers in a short amount of time. (source)
Worker Bees
In charge of keeping the hive neat and tidy, worker bees have many jobs. They feed the queen, take care of larva and baby bees. Without the worker bees, the hive can not survive. Most of the bees in the colony are worker bees.
The above bee coloring sheet shows worker bees tending to the honey. As a fun way to extend this activity, kids can write a short passage about worker bees. It would be fun to write from the point of view of one of the bees.
Queen Bee
The queen bee is in charge of laying all of the eggs in the colony. After she reaches her mature size queen bees are about twice the size of other bees in the hive. Bee keepers often mark the queen bee to allow them to monitor her in the hive.
Bumble Bee Coloring Page
Did you know that some queens can start a whole colony by themselves? The rusty patch bumble bee, which is on the US Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species list, creates a new colony each spring.
The queen bee hibernates all winter. When spring arrives she lays eggs that she tends to all by herself. Talk about one busy bee mom! The children's book Begin with a Bee, reviewed in the Best Bee Books for Kids is all about these amazing bees.
Bumble bees unlike honey bees, make their hives underground in holes. Their colony tends to be smaller than honey bees.
Young children will easily notice the different between the two types of bees. Bumble bees are usually fuzzy and larger than honeybees.
Bee Hive Coloring Sheets
Wild bees can make hives in a variety of places. Holes in the ground, hollow trees, and even rock cavities. Bee keepers raise bees in structures called apiaries.
All beehives have honeycombs made of perfect hexagon shapes. The queen lays eggs in these shapes and worker bees make honey.
Bees Collecting Honey
The job of honey collecting belongs to the worker bees. They fly around from flower to flower gathering nectar.
Once back at the hive, this nectar is passed on to other worker bees. In order to turn into honey, water that makes up the honey has to evaporate.
Out in the wild, bees are attracted to different types of flowers. They communicate with each other about the location of flowers using a waggle dance.
By moving their bodies in different directions they tell the other bees where to go. The waggle dance is the bees version of a map or GPS!
Fun Ways to Extend the Activity
- Write a short passage to go along with each printable
- Head outside for an insect scavenger hunt
- Read a few books about bees
- Make a bee craft together
Of course to truly appreciate these tiny wonders, take your kids outside to observe bees in their natural habitat. Bees will only sting if they feel threatened.
Watching bees go from flower to flower is a wonderful activity to do with young children while using these fun coloring pages.
Terms of Use
These sheets were created by Nature Inspired Learning and are for personal use only for your home or classroom. They are designed to be a tool that can be used for early learning success. All of these free printable bee coloring pages are for non-commercial use. Have questions, send me an email at julie@natureinspiredlearning.com
