Rainy Day? Play hide and seek with bugs! Fake bugs that is. This idea comes form my friends C+E!

If you have fake bugs, great! If not, take some time to draw bugs on pieces of paper or cardboard. Keep them small so you can hide them around the house for your little to find! Making matching pairs can enhance the activity later– you could even design your own bugs!

Next hide the bugs in various places around the house and let the hunt begin!

Along the way you could teach “warmer/colder” prompting your kiddo closer to the bugs or letting her know she is off track! Or you might use excellent directive’s like C did. Give hints like what is something you wear on your feet? Or what do you play with when you sing jingle bells? Make those little brains think!

Once all the bugs are found, the fun is not over!

You can count them, sort them by color, size, number of legs, wings/no wings. Next, play find the matching pairs! Replay hide and seek but this time, find the first bug and the next one you can gather has to be the match to the first one. For example, hide two spiders and two ants. Start seeking. If a spider is found first, you must now find the other spider next. If you find an ant, leave it in place until you find the other spider. Gather the other spider then start looking for a new bug. If you find an ant next then the next bug you can gather must be an ant! Think of it as a giant memory game board.

Dig Deeper

Here is a cute little song by Raffi. But fair warning- it has a bit of a chance of getting stuck in your head all day!

This is a cute Rhyme you can act out with your little one. It is called “1,2,3”

1,2, 3
There’s a bug on me! (pretend to knock it off)
Where did it go? (look around)
I don’t know! (shrug shoulders)

And another:

Beehive Five
Here is a beehive (make a fist)
But where are the bees (shrug shoulders)
Hiding inside where nobody sees (point to fist)
Soon they’ll come out
Of their hive
1,2,3,4,5 (open fingers one at a time)
BUZZZZZZZ! (fly fingers and tickle a friend!)

And don’t forget Itsy Bitsy Spider! Check out this cute video if you are interested in learning it in American Sign Language!

Have Fun!