**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Insect Week. Insect Week is an annual UK-wide celebration organised by the Royal Entomological Society (RES). It is typically held in June and aims to engage people of all ages with the vital importance of insects. The week encourages everyone to learn about the incredible diversity of insects and their essential role in our ecosystems, from pollination and recycling to being a food source for other animals. For official information and details, please visit the Royal Entomological Society website: www.royensoc.co.uk/insectweek.
Understanding Insect Week in EYFS & KS1
Discover the fascinating world of minibeasts! šš¦š Insect Week is a whole week dedicated to learning about all the tiny, creepy crawly creatures that live all around us. Insects are super important for our planetāthey help flowers grow, they are food for birds and other animals, and they help keep the soil healthy. This week is all about becoming little explorers, going on a bug hunt, and learning to love and respect all the small things that run our world.
For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this week provides a wonderfully hands-on and crucial theme for exploring the natural world, minibeasts, life cycles, habitats, and scientific observation. Itās about encouraging childrenās natural curiosity about the world around them, helping them to get up close with nature, and teaching them about the importance of all creatures, big and small. This week offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about insects, biodiversity, and the environment both essential and wonderfully exciting!
Why Is Learning About Insects Important for Young Children?
Integrating Insect Week and themes of minibeasts and nature into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is great for fostering a love of the natural world, developing scientific curiosity, and building a foundation for environmental stewardship.
Fosters Scientific Curiosity: Encourages children to observe, ask questions, and investigate the world around them.
Develops Respect for Nature: Helps children appreciate that all creatures, even the tiny ones, play a vital role.
Introduces Life Cycles: Provides a tangible way to learn about how living things grow and change over time.
Enhances Observational Skills: Encourages children to look closely at patterns, colours, and behaviours of insects.
Promotes Hands-on Learning: Inspires children to get outside and engage directly with the natural world.
Engaging Insect & Minibeast Activities for Insect Week (EYFS & KS1)
Time to become a bug explorer for Insect Week with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on discovery, creativity, and understanding the role insects play in our world! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated āMinibeastsā, āLife Cyclesā, āGardeningā, and āThe Environmentā resources.
Here's some inspiration for celebrating Insect Week in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)
Minibeast Hunting & Observation
Going on a Bug Hunt: Give children magnifying glasses and bug catchers and go on a real minibeast hunt in the garden or a local park. Gently observe and then release the creatures back into their homes. Use a 'Minibeast Search Checklist' to record what they find.
Classroom 'Bug Hotel': Create a simple bug hotel by filling a container with hollow reeds, sticks, and leaves. Place it in a quiet corner of the garden and watch to see what minibeasts make it their home.
Displaying What We Found: Use our 'Minibeasts Display Banner' and our 'Minibeasts Word Cards' to create a fantastic display of the insects you discovered during your bug hunt.
Identifying & Naming: Use the 'Minibeasts Word Mat' to help children identify and name the different insects they find.
Creative & Hands-on Exploration
Bug Crafts: Use recycled materials like egg cartons, bottle tops, and toilet rolls to create your own minibeast models.
Art with Insects: Use our 'Minibeast Colouring' sheets or 'Draw Minibeasts Sheet' for a creative activity. You can also use our 'Fine Motor Butterflies' or 'Fine Motor Ladybirds' to develop fine motor skills.
Playdough Fun: Use our 'Minibeast Multimats - Playdough, Loose Parts, Art & Crafts' to create minibeasts with playdough and other loose parts.
Creative Movement: Use our 'Minibeast Activity/Movement Challenge Cards' to get children moving like different minibeastsāwiggle like a worm, flutter like a butterfly, or crawl like a ladybird.
Literacy & Numeracy
Counting & Numbers: Use our 'Minibeasts Counting Display/Flashcards/Posters (0-20)' or our 'Minibeasts Counting Puzzles (1-10)' for a variety of counting and number recognition activities. You could also use the 'Minibeasts Doubling Activity Mats' for more complex challenges.
Insect-Themed Story Time: Read picture books about insects, such as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle, or "The Bad-Tempered Ladybird". Discuss the insects and their roles in the stories.
Life Cycle Puzzles: Use our 'Endless Life Cycle Puzzles' to talk about how insects grow and change. Then, use the full resources like the 'Butterfly Life Cycle Poster And Activity' or 'Ant Life Cycle Poster And Activity' to go into more detail.
Understanding Life Cycles & Conservation
Life Cycle Discussion: Use our 'Life Cycle Flashcards - Butterfly, Frog, Chicken, Ant & Plant' to talk about the different stages of an insectās life.
Why We Need Insects: Use the ''Save The Bees!' Flowers Poster' and ''Save The Bees!' Fruit & Veg Poster' to discuss why bees are so important for pollination and how they help our food grow. You can also have a discussion about what would happen if there were no insects in the world.
Creating a Mini Garden: Plant some insect-friendly flowers like lavender or marigolds in a small pot to attract minibeasts to your setting.
Explore More: To explore our extensive catalogue of resources on these themes, please visit our āMinibeastsā, āLife Cyclesā, āInvertebratesā, āGardeningā, and āThe Environmentā pages.
These activities offer great inspiration for making Insect Week a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering scientific curiosity, respect for nature, and a lifelong love for the natural world.
To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.
Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: āInsect Weekā
Free āMinibeastsā & āInsectsā themed activities and printable resources | EYFS & KS1:
āInsectsā and āMinibeastsā themed activities and printable resources from our āMinibeastā and āLife Cycleā collections | EYFS & KS1:
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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'Insect Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the Royal Entomological Society, which organises this annual initiative. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and details, please visit the Royal Entomological Society website: www.royalentomologicalsociety.org/events/insect-week.
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