You are invited to download the Crab Pack with learning printables for preschool and kindergarten children. Use this resource with clear true-to-life images to create hands-on ocean-themed activities for your students or for exploring invertebrates in your classroom.
about crabs
Crabs are sea creatures with a hard exoskeleton that protects their body. They have ten legs and two claws that they use to catch their food. Crabs love to eat algae, other small animals, and even dead creatures that fall to the ocean floor. Some crabs can also change color to blend into their environment and avoid being caught by predators. They can be found in oceans and on beaches all over the world, and are a fun animal to observe and learn about!
Crabs usually mate in the summer. The female crab molts, or sheds, her hard outer shell and releases pheromones, or chemicals, to attract the male crab. The male crab will guard the female and protect her while she molts. The female stores the male sperm in her body until she is ready to lay her eggs. She will then release the fertilized eggs into the water where they will hatch and become baby crabs.
Crab hands-on activities
Crab hand activities for kids include crab races using hands as the legs of the crab, making a paper crab by tracing the shape of hands onto paper and decorating it, and playing crab catch by catching a ball using two hands placed like a crab’s claws. Other activities include creating a crab puppet using paper bags, creating crab-themed jewelry with beads and wire, and drawing pictures of crabs while learning about their anatomy and behavior. These creative and engaging activities help children learn about crabs in a fun and interactive way.
Montessori activities for kids that involve crab hands can help improve fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and concentration. One activity is the tweezing game, where kids use crab hands (thumb and pointer finger) to pick up small objects and place them into a container. Another activity is the transfer game, where kids use crab hands to move objects from one container to another using a spoon or scoop. Additionally, kids can practice drawing or tracing shapes with crab hands using writing tools like chalk or markers. These activities can be adapted for different age levels and abilities.
Crab Pack
Children will learn the stages of the crab life cycle, and parts of a crab, practice sequencing skills and work to improve their concentration and fine motor skills.
This resource contains a crab life cycle poster, worksheet, 3-part cards, and parts of a crab printable.
Here is what’s included:
- Crab life cycle diagram
- Crab life cycle 3 part cards
- Crab life cycle coloring, cutting, and pasting worksheet (color and blackline)
- Crab life cycle tracing strips
- Crab life cycle information cards
- Parts of Crab diagram
- Parts of the Crab diagram minus labels
- Parts of the Crab labels
- Parts of the Crab information cards
- Parts of the Crab tracing & independent writing worksheet
- Parts of the Crab student booklet (independent writing)
- Types of Crabs 3 part cards
- Types of Crabs information cards
- Crab characteristics color poster
- Crab characteristics black line poster
- Crab characteristics mat
- Crab characteristics color cards
- Crab characteristics tracing & coloring student booklet
- Crab characteristics student booklet
- Crab information poster
- My Book of Crabs
- Crab Food vs Preditors sorting cards
- Crab anatomy diagram adjective activity
Age: Preschool ages 3 – 6 years
Subjects and uses in the classroom: Ocean biome, Invertebrates, Beach, Nature Table, Science Centers, Fine motor, Prewriting
How to use this resource:
Parts of a carb – Gather books about crabs for children to explore. Print posters and label cards on cardstock and laminate. Cut individual label cards. Attach clear velcro to the poster without labels and label cards.
Present the poster – name all parts and invite the students to share their thoughts on the various functions of each part. Then read each label and invite the student to match it to the corresponding part of the crab body.
Life cycle poster – print on cardstock and laminate. Present all stages of the crab life cycle. Invite the children to retell them or tell their own story that features all the stages.
Crab life cycle 3- part cards – Print on cardstock and laminate if you wish to preserve colors and card quality for future use. Place picture cards in a column and invite the children to match the picture to the picture and the word to the word. Present control cards and invite the child to lay the stages of the cycle in the correct order.
Crab life cycle line art – supply scissors, glue, and coloring pencils. Invite the student to color and cut cards and glue them into the correct sequence.
Crab tracing/labeling and coloring worksheets – print on cardstock and laminate. Supply an erasable pen. Invite the child to trace the words and color corresponding images. Alternatively, print pages on regular printing paper and invite the child to trace or label parts of a crab and crab life cycle.
You might like to invite the students to compare the life cycle of the crab with other sea creatures.
Other Resources You Might Find Helpful In Your Classroom
Classification work with invertebrates from the six main groups.
Classification activity with invertebrates from the six main classes.
The printable features real photographic images of animals for sorting.
The printable contains:
- classification poster for self-check
- 3 working mat with 2 groups on each and 8 animals that represent them
- matching pictures and label cards (for matching and reading activity matching the picture to the picture and the word to the word). Use picture cards for sorting.
- 6 label cards for sorting
- information cards for 6 classes of invertebrates: Porifera, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Annelida
This printable is a part of the Nature Curriculum in Cards Series.
The printable is suitable for children aged 3-7
Animal sorting and classifying activity with vertebrates and invertebrates.
The printable features photographic cards for sorting and cards with clipart images
for “cut, color and sort” activity.
The printable contains:
2 workmats “Invertebrates” and “Vertebrates”
9 cards with real photographic images of vertebrate and invertebrate animals (18 in total)
definition cards
control card for self-check
student printouts for sorting with black and white clipart images and control card for self-check
10 pages
This printable is a part of the Nature Curriculum in Cards Series
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