Ant Activities for Preschoolers to Learn and Play

Ant activities for preschoolers have been some of our favorite ways to mix learning with play.

When my son was younger, we explored how ants live and work together through crafts, sensory bins, and preschool science worksheets.

These kinds of hands-on activities always sparked his curiosity—and they’re perfect for helping preschoolers build fine motor skills while having fun.

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Preschool Science Activities About Ants

Learning about ants is a great way to introduce preschoolers to early science concepts like body parts, life cycles, and insect behavior.

These preschool science activities use simple worksheets and hands-on tools to help young children explore how ants grow, move, and work together.

They’re perfect for building vocabulary, observation skills, and fine motor development through play-based learning.

• Start with the basics using this free parts of an ant worksheet that introduces preschoolers to the head, thorax, abdomen, and other key features through coloring and labeling.
• Help kids understand how ants grow and change with a preschool-friendly ant life cycle worksheet that includes a simple cut-and-paste activity and a spinning wheel to visualize the stages from egg to adult.
• For extra practice with early literacy and fine motor skills, try these ant-themed preschool worksheets featuring letter tracing, mazes, and labeling activities designed for young learners.

Ant Crafts for Preschoolers

Crafting is one of the best ways for preschoolers to connect with what they’re learning.

These ant-themed crafts combine creativity with early science, helping little ones explore ant anatomy, habitats, and life cycles while practicing fine motor skills like cutting, gluing, and coloring.

They’re simple to set up, low-mess, and perfect for classroom or at-home learning.

• Let your kids create their own little marching bug with this adorable walking ant puppet craft. It uses a printable template and jumbo craft stick to make the ants “walk,” and it’s great for pretend play too.
• This easy torn paper ant hill craft invites preschoolers to tear and glue paper to build an ant hill scene, then add fingerprint ants with red ink. It’s a creative way to talk about where ants live and how they work together.
• Try this hands-on ant life cycle craft where kids build a visual model of the four stages of an ant’s life. It’s a fun, tactile way to reinforce science learning while making a keepsake.
• Combine letters and bugs with this A is for Ant alphabet craft that uses coloring, cutting, and gluing to link letter recognition with a fun ant theme. It’s perfect for reinforcing the letter A in a memorable, hands-on way.
• You can also explore early math and fine motor practice with this A is for Ant preschool pack that includes playdough mats, ant counting, and even a fun “ant log” snack idea.

Ant Sensory Play Ideas

Sensory play gives preschoolers the chance to explore textures, movement, and imaginative storytelling—all while reinforcing what they’ve learned about ants. These simple setups are quick to prep and offer hours of ant-themed fun.

• Create a miniature bug world with this easy ant and kinetic sand sensory bin. Using toy ants and sand, kids can dig tunnels, build hills, and explore pretend ant habitats with their hands.
• For something a little messier, try this bug slime activity that lets preschoolers mix up their own slime and add plastic insects. It’s a great way to talk about insect shapes and colors while strengthening fine motor skills and sensory awareness.
  

Easy Ant Experiments for Preschoolers

Preschool science doesn’t need to be complicated.

• Set up a backyard investigation with this colored sugar water ant experiment. Mix red, blue, and yellow dyes into sugar water and watch which color ants prefer. It’s a fun way to introduce basic concepts like observation and hypothesis, all while learning how ants find food.

Best Ant Books for Preschoolers

Books are a great way to build background knowledge and spark interest before or after doing ant activities. These three are perfect for preschoolers—engaging, simple, and filled with fun facts.

• Ants (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 1). This beginner reader combines real photos with simple sentences—perfect for reading aloud or letting kids follow along. It introduces basic ant behavior in a way that’s easy to understand.
• All Things Ants For Kids. This one’s packed with colorful images and bite-sized facts. We used it to flip through during snack time—it kept my son asking questions about ant hills and queens long after we’d finished reading.
• Ants for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide. A great pick for curious preschoolers who love nature. It covers ant jobs, life cycles, and colony life in short, illustrated sections. It’s a bit more detailed, so it works well alongside hands-on activities or for repeat reading.

Whether you’re planning a bug unit or just looking for something fun to do outside, these ant activities for preschoolers offer a playful way to learn and explore.

You might also enjoy our insect worksheets or spring printables for more hands-on fun.

Last Updated on 21 April 2025 by Clare Brown