Kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school love learning about bugs and insects. These free printable insect flashcards are perfect additions to a unit study about bugs!
Love them or hate them, bugs and insects can be found just about anywhere.
Young children are fascinated with these critters and for good reason. Bugs are really cool animals!
Reader Favorites: Free Bug Bingo Game and Insect Printables
Featuring realistic insect designs, these flashcards are great for young kids. 20 unique designs perfect for young bug enthusiasts!
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There are so many fun ways to use flashcards with your kids.
Great as ID cards for common bugs found outside. As your kids use them they will become familiar with these critters along with building vocabulary skills.
You can access your free pdf version of the bug flashcards at the bottom of this post.
Jump to:
Age Range
- Toddlers
- Preschoolers
- Kindergarteners
- Elementary
Designed with little learners in mind these cards feature simple realistic images and the common name of the bug.
Of course, older kids can use these flashcards as well if you are learning about insects together!
Common Insects
- Ant
- Aphid
- Bee
- Beetle
- Butterfly
- Caterpillar
- Cricket
- Dragonfly
- Earwig
- Fly
- Grasshopper
- Grub
- Mosquito
- Moth
- Praying Mantis
- Tick
- Walking Stick
- Yellow Jacket
An insect has 6 legs, a hard exoskeleton, three main body parts and many of them have wings.
Although worms, spiders, and snails are often found in the same habitats as bugs, they are not classified as insects.
You may think of a grub as a worm, but they actually are an insect. If you ever get the chance to look at one up close you will see that a grub has six legs at the front of its body!
Science Topics to Explore
- Characteristics of Insects
- Parts of a Bug
- Classification
- Making Observations
A fun way to use these cards is to let your child sort the bugs into different groups.
In great introductory lesson would be to ask your kids which insects they have seen in real life. They can make a group of bugs they have seen and other with ones they have not.
In the photo above, six of the twenty cards were sorted by color. A group with three green insects and another group with three brown ones.
Skills to Practice
- Vocabulary
- Identification
- Sorting and Classifying
Flashcards are a great way for kids to build vocabulary skills. Below the image on the card is the common name of the bug.
You can read it out loud together and when they are ready, your kids can read the names on their own.
Easy to adapt for kids of different ages and abilities. If homeschooling multiple aged kids, they can all use these cards, but in different ways!
How to Use Flashcards
You can use the printable flashcards in so many different ways! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Building Vocabulary- kids can learn the name associated with the image of the insect
- Visual Aids- keep the cards on display at a science center or hang them up for kids to see
- Observations- similar to real life bugs, kids can closely observe the images on the cards.
- Sorting- let your kids group the cards by a specific characteristic. Instead of telling them which one, give them a chance to make observations then begin grouping them!
- Classification- similar to sorting, as they group bugs into categories, they can create their own classification system.
- ID Cards- head outside and use these these cards to help you identify bugs that you find!
A great way to keep cards looking great for years to come is to print them off onto cardstock then laminate them.
You can even attach a ring to the corner of the set of cards to hold them all together. Or simply use a binder clip or bag to keep them organized.
Make sure to check out this post if you are interested in learning more about using sorting and classification with kids in preschool and kindergarten.
Sorting activities are super simple to throw together. As your kids create their own classification system they are building upon many important math and science skills!
Extend the Activity
- Learn More about the Bugs through Books
Children's books are wonderful sources of information for kids. Bright colorful, yet full of information about insects.
The Book of Brilliant Bugs is one of my favorite new releases!
Looking for a great book? You can find the whole list in the Bugs and Insects for Kids Booklist.
2. Bug Hunt
Using these cards as your guide, head outside and try to find the different insects. Take a few minutes to make an observation of each one.
You can even compare and contrast two different ones that you find. Of course, just be careful around bugs that sting including bees and yellow jackets.
You can find a free printable bug hunt within the Insect Printable pack, or simply use these flashcards.
3. Bug Bingo Game
Really into bugs and insects? This free bug bingo game features many of the same bugs featured on the flashcards.
A fun activity to do with a small group of kids. Designed for young children in mind, the game features 9 squares instead of the traditional 25.
4. Hand-Made Flashcards
Making your own insect flashcards is a great way to extend this activity. Using the printable flashcards as your guide, write down the name of the bug then draw your own sketch.
You can use plain flashcards and color in the insects using colored pencils, markers, or even paint.
Don't forget to get your free PDF version of the flashcards below!
Terms of Use
These printables were created by Nature Inspired Learning and are for personal use only for your home, classroom, or public library. All of these free printable insect flashcards are for non-commercial use. See full disclosure. Have questions, send me an email at julie (at) natureinspiredlearning (dot) com
Free Printable Bug Flashcards
- Set of 20 Common Bugs and Insects
- Bright colorful image along with the common name
- PDF downloadable set that you can print off
Please note, that this is a digital download, so no physical cards will be sent.
If you are new here Welcome!
On the blog I create and share Nature Inspired Activites you can use with your kids ages in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school.
Easy to adapt for kids of all ages. Great as independent activities or as a fun ways to explore together!
Mariana says
These are so cute and so fun! Can’t wait to print them out! Thank you for all you do, julie!
Julie says
Thank you Mariana, its my pleasure, Enjoy!
Jill says
These are adorable! I can't wait to use them with my preschooler. Thank you!
Julie says
Your very welcome Jill, Enjoy!
Julie says
Love these! My kids love bugs and we're always looking for ways to incorporate nature in our learning.
Julie says
Thank you Julie
Jo says
I love that you've included earwigs, mosquitos etc you don't often find those included on stuff. These will look great in our homeschool room thanks for sharing
Julie says
Thank you Jo, I tried to create a wide range of bugs that are common around backyard and local habitats