The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities

These very hungry caterpillar activities are just what you need to add to the rest of your butterfly activities for preschoolers. Each and every one is a wonderful extension of the well-loved children’s book.

You’ll find very hungry caterpillar-themed sensory, math, literacy, crafts, and science activities. There are even some snack ideas. Because all that playing and learning is sure to make your little caterpillars hungry.

The caterpillar fun is perfect for preschoolers, but toddlers will get a kick out of many of them. Kindergarten and other elementary-aged children are sure to enjoy many of the caterpillar activities, too.

Related: Butterfly Sensory Activities

To make the most of all of these ideas, take a look through each of the categories. Then choose the activities you want to try with your students.

For more details about the individual activities, click on each link. The links will take you to more details about each activity. Something tells me you’re going to love them as much as I do.

Materials for the Caterpillar Ideas

Before we jump into all of the caterpillar fun, let’s chat supplies. Here are some materials you may want to pick up for these caterpillar activities if you don’t already have them! (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar book
• Very Hungry Caterpillar toys
• Butterfly grow kit
• Printer
• Laminator
• Play dough
• Green glass gems
• Colored buttons
• Pom poms
• Scrapbook paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Paper plates
• Plastic beads
• Googly eyes
• Dot markers

As always, if you don’t have a specific item that an activity calls for, have a look around and see if you can substitute it with anything else. I can usually find a stand-in or two when I’m missing a material, and the kids don’t mind a bit!

Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities

So, I may have gotten a little carried away with all of the very hungry caterpillar ideas! But there are so many awesome activities that I had a hard time narrowing things down.

To make things easy for you, I’ve broken the ideas down into categories. That way, you can find just what you’re looking for.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Literacy Activities

Now let’s start with the literacy fun! These caterpillar literacy ideas will give your kids a bit of storytelling, letter sorting, reading, and more. Perfect complements to The Very Hungry Caterpillar book.

Related: Butterfly Crafts for Preschoolers

This simple very hungry caterpillar basket is a wonderful way for kids to re-tell the story.

Kids use little homemade caterpillar heads to kick off this very hungry caterpillar letter sort.

Preschoolers match the letters of their name with this very hungry caterpillar paper plate game.

Related: Butterfly Life Cycle Activities

Strengthen little hand muscles with this very hungry caterpillar fine motor activity.

The very hungry caterpillar days of the week activity also sneaks in some fine motor practice.

This hungry caterpillar lacing letters idea combines fine motor with letter recognition in a bright and colorful activity.

Your kids will be entertained to no end with this hilarious very hungry caterpillar straw idea. You can adapt it to practice all sorts of skills!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Printables

After you’ve read the book with your kids a few (hundred) times, these printables make it easy to reinforce the theme of caterpillars and butterflies.

Your students can make some cute very hungry caterpillar flap books. They focus on days of the week, colors, numbers, or all three!

This 3D paper caterpillar craft is beyond adorable. Something tells me your kids will have a blast playing with it!

Guide your students in practicing math skills with these very hungry caterpillar counting mats.

Your preschoolers can have a whole afternoon of fun with this collection of very hungry caterpillar printables.

These very hungry caterpillar printables give your kids some good fruit and colors practice.

Kids will happily engage in practicing their days of the week and numbers with this free very hungry caterpillar sequencing printable.

I can’t get over this hole punching hungry caterpillar printable! What a clever way to give kids fine motor practice.

Teach young children how to order events and re-tell a story with this printable very hungry caterpillar story sequencing.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Science Activities

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the perfect book to pair with preschool science activities! The following ideas touch on various science concepts with.

If there is fizzing involved, preschoolers are thrilled, and these fizzing caterpillars can be modified for older kids as well!

This caterpillar to butterfly science activity will be a fun a surprise for the kids when they see it for the first time!

These are excellent STEAM caterpillar ideas kids can do using just a couple of materials.

Caterpillar science isn’t complete without seeing the transformation first hand. A butterfly kit will bring the book to life in the most exciting way!

What a fabulous way to let the kids explore gardening! These grass caterpillars are so adorable.

Butterfly slime will be a sure sensory hit with the kids to go along with the caterpillar theme.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Crafts

Of course there are plenty of craft ideas out there that have sprung from The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Kids adore creating their own hungry caterpillar crafts to go along with this beloved book. AND many of these can be played with as well.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Sensory Activities

There are so many opportunities to explore sensorially when it comes to The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Just think about all those colors and textures! Have fun with these caterpillar sensory activities with your preschoolers.

Butterfly life cycle bottles are a great way to practice how the hungry caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

How cute is this caterpillar sensory bin? You’ll have fun with the set-up as well!

There is a little bit of everything to create cute fuzzy friends with this caterpillar play dough invitation.

This hungry caterpillar sensory tub is easy to set up and open to lots of variation.

I love the clever use of real foods with this hungry caterpillar sensory bin.

There is no end to sensory exploration with this very hungry caterpillar sensory play for babies and older.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Math Activities

Since math plays a big part in the book itself, it’s easy to extend the math concepts through these fun math-focused very hungry caterpillar activities!

Butterflies are the perfect little subjects for exploring symmetry with Lego. What other hungry caterpillar items can you think of to also try out with this activity?

Kids will get some hands-on counting practice with this counting caterpillars activity.

This feed the caterpillar spring math activity is a hilariously fun way for the kids to work on some math skills.

Preschoolers can practice counting to ten with this simple hungry caterpillar count up activity.

Another very hungry caterpillar count up, and this one will have the kids feel like they are playing a fun game!

This hungry caterpillar color sorting activity is simple to set up and extra creative for the kids.

Kids will get a good dose of number recognition and sorting with this very hungry caterpillar math game using little glass beads.

Hungry Caterpillar Snack Ideas

And, finally, as promised . . . some snack ideas to add to your very hungry caterpillar activities! All that playing and learning is sure to make the kids (and you!) a bit hungry, right?

I have a feeling your kiddos will enjoy helping to create and eat these hungry caterpillar cookies!

These butterfly snacks are nutritious and delicious. Perfect to add onto any very hungry caterpillar activity.

The caterpillar becomes lunch with these very hungry caterpillar cucumber and tomato slices.

Fruit makes the perfect butterfly wings for these orange slice butterflies.

Your kids will jump at eating the whole butterfly life cycle when it is as yummy as this one!

Feel free to get creative with the ingredients when you make these banana and graham butterfly snacks!

This very hungry caterpillar fruit snack is such a cute way to celebrate the book.

Be sure to save all of these very hungry caterpillar activities for future reference! If you pin it, be sure to check out my Butterfly Activities Pinterest board.

Done-For-You Preschool Resources

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Click on the image below to get our butterfly lesson plans. They come with weekly plans, detailed daily lesson plans, book suggestions, whole group activities, small group lessons, center ideas, and related printables. If the Very Hungry Caterpillar activities for preschoolers were a hit, you will love these lesson plans!

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