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March 12, 2013 | 22 Comments

Indoor Bug Hunt {with counting, sorting and matching}

bug hunt color match sortingFinding activities that both my two-year-old and her six-year-old brother enjoy isn’t always easy. More and more he wants to do something she doesn’t have the patience or skill for yet. One thing they both love are hunts. Simple materials, fun game and a ton of learning. This bug hunt has color matching, counting and sorting as well as a ton of fun. This activity was a great way for both of them to play and learn together. As you will see they worked at their own level while working together. Although we used bugs you could use any small items like plastic Easter eggs, simple blocks or even cut out shapes.

  1. Gather your materials. You will need many multi-colored small objects to hide, construction paper in the same colors (we chose a rainbow theme but you could do any colors) and some kids eager to find things.rainbow bug hunt and sorting activity
  2. Spread your colors out on a flat surface like the floor or table.rainbow bug hunt
  3. Hide your bugs. Can you see any in this picture?rainbow bug hunt for preschool
  4. Explain the rules of the game. Find the bug and sort it in the correct color. For my son I added the following challenges: After he found a bug and put it in the right color I asked him to see which color had the most bugs and which had the least. This made him pause so his sister had a slight chance at finding some of the bugs and gave him a little math lesson too.
  5. Start finding those bugs! bug huntThey were so quick it was hard for me to catch any pictures.bug hunt
  6. My daughter loved sorting them. Every now and then, I would sneak one into the wrong color and she’d fix it.rainbow bug hunt 7
  7. When we found them all I asked them to count. My daughter counted all the bugs in each color bug hunt countingand my son counted all the bugs in every color. He also told me which color had the most, which had the least.bug hunt and sort
  8. After that, he went off to play Lego but my daughter and I played two more times.bug hunt color match

 

Books About Bugs

19 books about bugs

We try to always match up activities with books to reinforce active play with quality reading time. Here are 19 great bug books for you and your little bug hunters to check out.

For other indoor activities like this bug hunt, make sure to follow me on Facebook!

If you teach preschool or preschool at home, you will love my Little School eBook of preschool activities.

little school ad

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Bugs, Color Hunt, Color Matching, Color recognition, Gross Motor Activities, Preschool Activities, Rainbow | 22 Comments

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Previous Post: Easter Egg Letter Match – Alphabet For Starters

22 Comments

  1. letters numbers and books oh my says

    March 12, 2013 at 7:57 am

    Fun, Easy and Inexpensive! Perfect for families 🙂

    Love your house always looks so bright and cheery and spotless!

    to letters numbers and books oh my" aria-label='reply to this comment to letters numbers and books oh my'>reply to this comment
  2. Jo Anne says

    March 12, 2013 at 8:05 am

    hello – love it!!! we do a lot with bugs throughout the year – i was wondering where you purchased the particular ones that you used in this sorting/hunting game – i’m enjoying the ideas you have shared….thank you! jo anne

    to Jo Anne" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jo Anne'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      March 12, 2013 at 1:16 pm

      They are bug counters from Lakeshore Learning. I got them many years ago though so I am not sure if these exact ones are still available. I am sure they have rainbow counters of some description though.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  3. Carla says

    March 12, 2013 at 11:58 am

    Great idea- I also have a 2 year old and 6 year old so always looking for ideas for both of them.

    to Carla" aria-label='reply to this comment to Carla'>reply to this comment
  4. Kirstylee says

    March 12, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    I love that you added the hunt factor to this activity. Sometimes my kids just need to move around!

    to Kirstylee" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kirstylee'>reply to this comment
  5. Jessica @ Play Trains! says

    March 12, 2013 at 8:27 pm

    My son asked me to put this one on the to-do list, so we’re definitely going to try it. Thanks!

    to Jessica @ Play Trains!" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jessica @ Play Trains!'>reply to this comment
  6. Jessica Mitchell-Stoddard says

    March 13, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    I absolutely love this! I am a nanny for three girls, ages 3, 4, and 7, so this game can be easily adaptable for all of them! Maybe this can be tied in to an Easter egg hunt….hmmm… 😉 Thank you so much for sharing this!

    to Jessica Mitchell-Stoddard" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jessica Mitchell-Stoddard'>reply to this comment
  7. Stephanie KierysSmkierys says

    March 15, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    I bought some colored bunnies from the seasonal section at Wal-mart and did this activity with my 2 y/o DD. She LOVED it!

    to Stephanie KierysSmkierys" aria-label='reply to this comment to Stephanie KierysSmkierys'>reply to this comment
  8. google.com says

    June 6, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    Paragraph writing is also a fun, if you know after that you can write if not it is complex to write.

    to google.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to google.com'>reply to this comment
  9. Kerri Bataille says

    April 10, 2015 at 6:46 am

    Where did you find your colored bugs?

    I also like your Idea of lego building activity where you roll the dice and pick a lego piece from the correct number tray to create a lego structure. Where did you find your tray? It looks like a plastic relish tray with 5 items to hold outside the center circle.

    to Kerri Bataille" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kerri Bataille'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 10, 2015 at 9:34 pm

      The bugs are from Lakeshore learning but they are OLD. The tray is from the dollar store!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment

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