Teaching Expertise

Honey bees are fascinating little creatures and certainly not as fearsome as some might think. Even though your kids might scream and run away at even the slightest buzz of a bee, it’s a good idea to inspire a classroom full of allies for these humble pollinators. This collection of 22 activities and crafts is sure to do the trick! Your kiddos will learn how these tiny insects are able to produce honey and how they pollinate trees and flowers. Keep reading to learn more!

1. Honey Bee Activity Book

These worksheets are perfect for quick end-of-lesson consolidation or to simply fill some time. This collection includes coloring pages, simple counting, spot-the-difference activities, maze solving, and more! Great for indoor recess and for your little ones who are working on pencil grip, attention to detail, stamina, and fine motor control.

Learn More: Itsy Bitsy Fun

2. Bubblewrap Beehive

Poppity-pop-pop! Have your littles cut bubble wrap in the shape of a beehive, then have them paint it yellow and stamp it on white craft paper. Next, they’ll use brown paper to cut out a door and stick it to their hive, before creating some bees using their thumbs dipped in paint!

Learn More: Crafty Morning

3. Painted Rock Bee Art Project

This hands-on bee activity is so cute and super simple to do! Head outside with your kiddos and find some long, oval rocks; you’ll then paint these yellow to create your bees’ bodies. Next let them wrap black yarn around it, and secure both ends with hot glue. Finally, they can then stick on some paper wings, googly eyes, and a small black paper stinger to finish it off.

Learn More: Fantastic Fun and Learning

4. Hand Print Bee Puppets

Ask your little busy bees to trace their hands with a pencil on a piece of yellow cardstock and have them paint black stripes on the fingers. Once it has dried, and they’ve cut out the hand, they’ll make triangular wings from white paper and use a pipe cleaner to create an antenna. Finally, have them glue on a popsicle stick and some googly eyes before adding a smile.

Learn More: Kids Craft Room

5. Busy Bee Headband

It doesn’t always have to be a birthday to send your kiddies home with a crown! Give each of your students a strip of yellow construction paper and ask them to color a black band in the middle. Staple the ends to form a headband the size of the kid’s head then finish it off with black pipe cleaners and yellow pom poms to make the antennae.

Learn More: Simple At Home

6. Potato Masher Bee Craft

You probably won’t be using this masher again for Thanksgiving dinner, but don’t you worry, it’s worth it! Have your kiddos dip a round potato masher in yellow paint and stamp it onto craft paper, adding googly eyes before the paint dries. Once dry, they can then color black stripes and add a Q-Tip for a stinger. When they add paper wings to both sides, their bee is ready for take-off!

Learn More: Happy Toddler Playtime

7. Popsicle Stick Bee Craft

Your class will love this bee-utiful craft! To make these adorable bees, have them start by painting their popsicle sticks black and yellow, then glue them together once they’re dry. Once they have that part done, they’ll glue on their googly eyes, draw a mouth, and maybe even some expressive eyebrows! Voila! The buzz-worthy project is complete!  

Learn More: Frugal Mom Eh

8. Paper Bag Honey Bee

Let your kiddos turn a boring paper bag into a colorful honey bee! First off, have them paint a brown paper lunch bag yellow and as that dries, they’ll research, and print off three fun facts about honey bees and glue their facts to black strips of paper that will become stripes. Add pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and paper doilies for wings to complete this sweet bee-themed craft!

Learn More: I Heart Crafty Things

9. Bee-utiful Paper Plates

This is a great way to give a glow-up to a dull paper plate craft! Print the template and ask your students to cut out the eye, wing, and stinger pieces. Next, set them up with some yellow and black paint to transform their paper plate with yellow with black stripes. Have them attach the eyes, stinger, antennae, and wings, and add a smile with a black marker. Simple as that! 

Learn More: Simple Everyday Mom

10. How To Draw A Bee

A step-by-step ‘How to Draw’ station is a fun way to break up any afternoon with a bit of creativity.  Set up a table with an iPad or play the video on your SMARTboard, then with just some markers and paper, your kiddos will be experts on drawing bees in no time!  As a memory task, you could see how well they can do it on their own, without the video!

Learn More: Easy Peasy and Fun

11. Cardboard Tube Bee Craft

Show your learners that recycling can ‘bee’ fun! For this super craft, your kiddos can start by covering a toilet roll tube with yellow paper. To create stripes, they’ll glue on black ribbon or paper and then draw eyes and a mouth. Finally, have them attach black paper strips to make antennae, and stick wings on to finish it off.

Learn More: Easy Peasy and Fun

12. Bee Finger Puppet Craft

Create this fun bee finger puppet with your little learners! First, they’ll need two cardstock circles; a 3-inch circle for the body and a 2.5-inch circle for the head. They can then draw black stripes on the body circle and punch out ¾ inch holes at the bottom. Let their creativity come into play as they design the face, antennae, and wings.

Learn More: I Heart Crafty Things

13. Bee-Themed Counting 

Who says you can’t work a theme into a math lesson? Your kiddies will love helping to make these clothespin bees using pipe cleaners, paper, and googly eyes! Once they have a complete set, they can use these alongside counting cards, placing the correct number of bees on each numbered card. This activity is perfect for developing their number recognition and their counting skills!

Learn More: Creative Green Living

14. Life Cycle Of A Bee Activity

We see bees all the time, but how much do we actually know about their life cycle? As they solve the puzzle, they’ll be learning more about the four different stages of a bee’s life cycle. Teaching your kids about the life cycle of a bee with this amazing printable resource will give them a greater appreciation for these important little creatures!

Learn More: Trillium Montessori

15. Read A Book About A Bee

Adding some books to your class library that link to your theme is a super way to make a link to literacy! While you’re on the hunt for your perfect collection, here are some lovely ones to start with. These books are full of delightful stories and fantastic illustrations, covering topics from bee dances to why bees are important! 

Learn More: Mother Natured

16. Honey Dough Activities

Let your little preschoolers help make a big batch of honey play dough using only flour, honey, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and boiling water. They’ll be mesmerized as you turn food into fun! Teach them about bees as they play with the dough and be sure to let them each taste a drizzle of honey, for extra excitement!

Learn More: Teaching Mama

17. Bee Sing-Along

There might be no better way to improve speaking and listening skills than with a song! Sing a honey bee song with your little ones when you introduce them to the topic. They’ll soon be convinced of how amazing these itty bitty insects are. Also, singing will be an extraordinary way to help them remember facts about beehives and habits!

Learn More: YouTube

18. Bee-Themed Letter Matching Game

Can your kiddies get the bees to their correct flowers? This printable game is complete with 52 alphabet cards—26 bee cards with lowercase letters and 26 flower cards with uppercase letters. Your little learners will love this game where they can spend hours developing their literacy skills by matching the letters up.

Learn More: Homeschool Preschool

19. Simple Water Station For Bees

This is a super fun activity for springtime! Encourage your kiddos to take care of the bees by making a water station they can drink from when they’re thirsty. You’ll just need to fill a bowl with shallow water and add stones. The water level should be below the stones so that the bees can sit safely, and you’ll need to top it up periodically.

Learn More: Tinkergarten

20. Sensory Bin

There are tons of options for your kiddos to dig into with this fun bee-themed sensory bin idea. Think pom poms, balloons filled with squishy sand, plastic easter eggs filled with rattling beads, sealed half-full honey jars they can tip and watch ooze; there are just so many possibilities!

Learn More: Fun-A-Day

21. Bee Hunt

Organize a bee scavenger hunt for your class! Hide the bees all around your classroom or playground and task your learners with finding them all. Improve their navigational skills by giving them each a map to work from, add some community-building by having them work in teams, or you could even turn it into a friendly competition for some extra excitement!

Learn More: Creative Green Living

22. Honey Tasting

Add the yummy factor to your classroom and you’re sure to hold their attention! Give your kiddies the opportunity to taste different honey from different flowers. Hand out clipboards so they can take notes using culinary words like fruity, floral, woody, spicy, nutty, caramel, and earthy. Then have them each rate their favorites and turn it into a bar chart!

Learn More: Gift of Curiosity