Do you love The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle as much as we do? Eric Carle’s book is one of my favorite books. I like that it has a lot of repetition.
In this great book, the grouchy ladybug meets a friendly ladybug. They are both there to eat aphids off of some leaves. The grouchy ladybug doesn’t want to share so he leaves. The book follows the grouchy ladybug throughout the day as it comes across a different animal at different times. Young readers chuckle when the ladybug asks the other animals if they want to fight, but then realizes they are too big so instead says, “You aren’t big enough.” In the end, the readers learn a valuable lesson.
After reading the book, try one of these activities or crafts with a ladybug theme. It is the perfect way to extend their learning and interaction with the book.
The Grouchy Ladybug Activities
Read the book and give these fun activities a try!
Add to your Science lessons with this life cycle of a ladybug printable from 123 Homeschool 4 Me. Your students will be exposed to new vocabulary and learn more about ladybugs too.
Offer sensory play with this bright and inviting ladybug sensory bin from Teaching with Childrens Books. Dye rice red or green and add different trinkets. Don’t forget to add spoons and funnels too. Learn how to dye rice for sensory bins. It’s easier than you think!
The letter L is for Ladybug, but you can also practice the recognition of all letters and letter sounds using the Ladybug Alphabet Mats from Free Preschool Printables. Say the name of the letter or the letter sound and cover it on the mat. Once all of the spots are covered, you win. This is also a great way to assess what your child or students know about letters.
Play a simple game with your child or they can play this math activity independently with the Ladybug Roll and Cover Game. It is a great way to practice counting and number recognition! Simply roll the die and cover the number you rolled. Continue to roll and cover the numbers. If you roll a number that is already covered, roll again. When all of the numbers are covered, you win.
The Grouchy Ladybug Themed Crafts
Are you looking for a fun craft to go with the book The Grouchy Ladybug? Give one of these adorable ladybug crafts a try! I love how fun and simple these crafts are.
I love this simple egg carton ladybug craft that uses an egg carton piece, red paint, paper black circles, and googly eyes. Check it out at Buggy and Buddy. Use the whole carton to make a bunch of ladybugs or a ladybug family!
Make a paper plate ladybug that moves! This craft is perfect for little hands because the painting is about the process and each one can look differently. Paint one paper plate black and one paper plate red with black spots. Cut and attach the pieces with a metal brad.
Use a toilet paper tube to make a ladybug. The toilet paper tube ladybug would be a fun way to create the grouchy ladybug and retell the story. Plus you can recycle it when you are finished.
These simple paper ladybugs from Easy Peasy and Fun are adorable! Fold the paper, add black dots, and glue on googly eyes. These would be a fun Spring time decoration on windows, on a door, or hanging in a classroom.
Make a ladybug hat like they did at Kids Craft Room. These are so cute and are fun to wear. The perfect way to make something that can be used to remind children of the story that they can retell at home.
Use a CD to make handprint lady bugs from I Heart Arts and Crafts. Everyone knows how much I love handprint crafts as a keepsake! Use pipe cleaners for the antennae for extra texture. If you don’t have cds you can use any size cardboard circle.
Tissue paper and contact paper create these beautiful ladybug sun catchers from Here Come the Girls. Working with tissue paper is great for strengthening fine motor skills. Wouldn’t it be beautiful to have lots of ladybugs sparkling on your windows?
Potato stamp ladybugs from My Mommy Style. What a clever way to try the technique of stamping. Add black lines and black dots to complete the little ladybugs. You can also make something similar to this using fingerprints instead of the potato.
More Grouchy Ladybug Printables
Here are free printables that compliment The Grouchy Lady bug. Young children will have so much fun with these activities.
Books and Willows has a printable ladybug clock. Print the clock face of the analog clock and use it to talk about time as you refer to the book. What a great way to work on telling time to the hour, half hour, or quarter hour with older children. The pictures of the animals from the book are free to print too. Take the picture of the animal, read the time, and adjust the clock to match.
If you are working with younger children and they aren’t necessarily ready to work on telling time, it is still ok to put the clock out to explore and spark curiosity. Children will love moving the hands of the clock, identifying the numerals, and will start to notice patterns and ask questions about the clock. What a great way to introduce it.
Check out the free count and clip cards from 3 Dinosaurs. Invite children to count the ladybug’s spots and clip the matching number. Clipping the clothes pin is also great for fine motor skills. I think the simplicity of the pictures on these count and clip cards are perfect for preschoolers.
Work on addition or fractions with the ladybug printable activities from Look We’re Learning. This is a good way to target different skills with different age groups all with a ladybug theme.
Ladybug Shape Puzzles from Confession of a Homeschooler. These will go well with your ladybug lesson plans. Talk about shapes, their names, and how many sides they have. You can also talk about the colors of the ladybugs as they match the halves.
More Bug Activities
You’ll also love our Very Hungry Caterpillar Crafts and Activities!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a story about an adorable caterpillar who eats his way into the metamorphosis process and becomes a butterfly.
Counting and number recognition activities can be found in this collection of Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities. Make a Very Hungry Caterpillar craft, complete puzzles, and download a printable letter matching activity that all go great with this book.
This free printable Insect Dice Game is the best way for your insect lover to get practice with counting and number recognition. The realistic pictures are an inviting way to get your child or students involved. Learn new vocabulary, discover characteristics that all insects share, and begin to explore insects in your area too.
Are you looking for more activities and crafts based on your favorite children’s books? Here’s a collection of our favorite books and hundreds of crafts and activities to go with them!
These popular children’s books are some of our favorites! From fun crafts and literacy activities to a fun game and activities that strengthen fine motor skills, you are sure to find a fun way to extend your favorite books with young children. These activities based on children’s books are a great way to remember and retell stories for younger children.
