Bugs are a very common topic of conversation in our house. It is not unusual to walk into a room and hear kids talking about what kind of a bug they want to keep for a pet or what they want to go dig in the dirt to find. So creating these ‘creepy crawly’ crafts with leaves was a great way to merge their love for bugs with the wonderful fall season.
You know I am all about simple activities and this is another one to add to the list! No ‘specialty’ pieces and no difficult instructions. This is something that most preschoolers should be able to do with minimal assistance. I did have to do the majority of it for my three year old, but that is because she isn’t developmentally ready for things like cutting and squeezing a glue bottle. If your child can do those things, then this will be super easy for them!
Materials needed to make the Creepy Crawly Crafts with Leaves:
Two pipe cleaners (each cut into thirds)
Two foam leaves (or real leaves if you prefer)
One pom pom (for one of ours we used black glitter glue for the head instead of the pom pom)
2 googley eyes
Glue
Scissors
How to make it:
Start by cutting the pipe cleaners into six legs for your creepy crawly. Then, gently poke each leg into one of the foam leaves to secure the legs. This is a great task for building fine-motor skills which are essential for developing hand strength for writing.
After that, take your other leaf and cut it in half down the center to create the wings. Apply glue to the underside of each wing and stick it to the first leaf. You will need some patience as you wait for the glue to dry in this step. If your child can’t hold it still for that length of time, you might try putting a book on top of it until it’s dry. Otherwise the wings will fall off as you assemble the rest.
After you have attached the wings glue your pom pom to the end of the leaves and then glue the eyes to the pom pom. For one of our bugs, we used black glitter glue to create the head. That method works okay if you have the patience to wait for it to dry.
And that’s it. You now have some fun creepy crawlies to accompany your bug learning fun!
MORE Creepy Crawly Activities for Preschoolers #PlayfulPreschool
Beginning Sounds: Hunting for Creepy Crawlies by Mom Inspired Life
Preschool Songs: I’m a Hungry Spider by Growing Book by Book
The Creepy Crawlies Kingdom by Learning 2 Walk
Number Word Spider by Tiny Tots Adventures
Creepy Crawly Slime Recipe for Kids by Fun-A-Day!
Spider Web Construction – An Engineering Activity by Rainy Day Mumm
Insects and Spiders-Counting and Math Song by Capri + 3
Creepy Crawly Gifts Kids Can Make by The Educators’ Spin On It
Learning About Composting Worms by Raising Lifelong Learners
Amanda Boyarshinov says
These are so cute! A perfect kid-made fall decoration!
Danielle @ Mom Inspired Life says
This is a super cute craft! Great idea to use fall leaves to make the creepy crawlies too!
Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says
These are sooo cute!
Theresa says
That is really cute! I love the glitter on the leaf body. Our children would LOVE to make these. We will have to look for the foam leaves.
Mary Catherine says
What a fun craft for the kiddos, and I love the sparkles!! 🙂
The Preschool Toolbox says
These leaf bugs are adorable! It’s so fun to watch all the creepy crawly things that kids can create! Great fall inspiration!
Emma says
These are beautiful! (I think it’s the glitter! lol!) Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot!
Kim says
My kids would love to make these! They are always on the hunt for bugs. We have a few buy containers for all their “bug pets”. Thanks for sharing at Made for Kids!