Roll a Bug
Your child will develop gross motor skills by rolling a giant cube and acting out movements of bugs.
Learning Area(s): Science; Physical Development
MATERIALS
- Tape
- Empty cube-shaped tissue box, giant die, or other large, soft cube
- Picture cards of a beetle, bee, ladybug, grasshopper, ant, and butterfly (available through the Download Resources link)
LET'S PLAY
Prepare for this activity by taping a labeled picture of a bug to each side of the soft cube or tissue box.
Before you begin the activity, tell your child that she is going to learn about bugs and the way they move. Introduce the bugs to your child by showing her the picture of each bug, one at a time. Ask her to name each bug, or have her repeat the name of each bug that she does not already know. Then, in an animated voice, ask, “Do you know what the [bug’s name] does that’s really special?” Demonstrate the noises and movements that each bug makes, and invite your child to practice the noises and movements with you.
“A beetle makes clicking noises like this.” (Make clicking noises with your tongue while holding your hands up to your head like antennae and moving them back and forth.)
“A bee buzzes as it flies like this.” (Extend your arms as wings and pretend to fly around while making buzzing sounds.)
“A ladybug crawls on the ground really quietly like this.” (Crawl on the floor quietly.)
“A grasshopper hops very high like this.” (Crouch on the floor and hop high.)
“An ant marches like this.” (March by lifting your knees high as you step and swinging your arms like a soldier.)
“A butterfly flutters gently and slowly like this.” (Extend your arms as wings and pretend to fly gently and slowly like a butterfly.)
Once your child has seen what each bug looks like in the pictures and the movements and/or noises that each bug makes, introduce the game. Show her how to roll the cube, and then take turns rolling the cube and naming the bug it lands on. Then encourage her to act out the bug’s noises and movements.
TIPS
- Be silly and dramatic with the bugs’ movements and noises! Model the movements with your child instead of telling her how to move. The more animated you are when modeling the movements and noises, the more engaged your child will be in the activity.
- By highlighting new bug names and bug action words, such as beetle, bee, ladybug, grasshopper, ant, butterfly, click, buzz, crawl, hop, march, and flutter, you are building your child’s vocabulary. See if she can remember some of the names and action words the next time you play this game!
- Help your child learn more about bugs, animals, or nature through simple non-fiction books and through observation of real bugs outside.
- You can adapt this activity to highlight names and movements of other animals (e.g., swim like a fish, gallop like a horse, waddle like a duck, jump like a frog, slither like a snake)
