Welcome to the fascinating world of insects!
As a parent and/or educator, you have a crucial role in shaping your child’s understanding and appreciation for the natural world. Insects are the largest group of animals on earth and with their incredible diversity and important ecological roles, offer a vast array of learning opportunities. Engaging in learning in this area will open your child’s eyes to the immense biodiversity that exists in the world around us and instill them with a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
Explore Insects!
This playlist is designed to help you explore insects and prepare your child for a lifelong love and respect for the incredible creatures that inhabit our planet.
Play by stage.
When enjoying our Insects content, use it to your advantage!
I’ve broken these tips into categories to support you in meeting your child where they are. Please note that you can use any of these tips at any age and stage of your child’s development, depending on their unique learning needs.
1: Beginner
Rhymes and Tickles
Start with our finger plays: Incey Wincey Spider, Here is the Beehive, and Slowly, Slowly. Exploring rhymes, songs and tickles offers your child a moment of connection and a safe way to explore the world of insects. You will nurture their innate love of learning while supporting many areas of development including their language, fine and gross motor skills. The goal here is to have fun with your child while they learn and empower them for when they do encounter these insects in their natural world.
2: Intermediate
Insect Instrument Play
Encourage creativity and a musical ear by using instruments to imitate the sounds of insects. We explore this type of sound play in our Creepy Crawlies Mini Class. Use instruments like a glockenspiel, egg shaker, or claves to create melodies and/or rhythms inspired by the buzzing of bees, chirping of crickets, or fluttering of butterflies. Encourage your child to explore the different pitches and rhythms of their chosen instrument. If you would like to extend this play further, use bug books or bug documentaries to help you uncover more insects and sounds. If you don’t have an instrument – use your body or everyday objects!
2: Advanced
Songwriting and storytelling
Combine our downloadable resources to inspire original music. Use our Ladybug, Ladybug echo song as inspiration. With our downloadable resources in front of you, have your child sing about the Ladybug while you echo their melody and lyrics. You may like to role model this first by being the leader. For example: “Ladybug, Ladybug, (child echos), climbed up the water spout, (child echos), bumped into a bee, (child echos), and gave a little shout (child echos)”. If this play is loved by your child, next time have them take ladybugs for a walk and go on a new songwriting adventure.
Teacher Tip!
Why do insects exist?
If your child is particularly curious about bees or butterflies why not build upon our content by exploring the vital ecological role these insects play? There is much learning to be had!
Bees and butterflies pollinate flowers, aiding in the reproduction of plants and contributing to the production of food. Teaching your child about these pollinating insects can help them comprehend the connection between insects and the fruits, vegetables, and flowers they encounter in their everyday lives.
Additionally, you may like to explore how insects are an essential part of the food chain for other predators such as birds, spiders, and other insects. Teaching your child about this intricate web of interactions helps them recognise the interdependence of all living organisms in nature.
Andrew's Art Corner
Our print-at-home Lady Bug (created by our graphic designer Dad Andrew) teams with our Lady Bug, Lady Bug video and makes for a wonderful songwriting assistant too – check out our Advanced Tip for more details.
Learning Resources
Compliment your insect learning at home with these open-ended resources at 15% OFF* from the Gumnut Music shop.
This months code: T5GU6GZQ
*Exclusions may apply.