Hummingbird-themed learning activities for preschool students can be easily incorporated into the preschool bird unit. Also, these printables will be a helpful addition to your resource library when teaching about North America or South America.
About hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are tiny birds with bright, colorful feathers. They are known for their ability to hover in mid-air, flap their wings rapidly and fly in all directions. Their long, thin beaks help them drink nectar from flowers, which is their primary source of food. Hummingbirds have excellent eyesight and can see colors that humans cannot. They are found mainly in North and South America, and there are over 300 species of hummingbirds. Despite their small size, hummingbirds are fast and agile and can fly up to 60 miles per hour!
The life cycle of a hummingbird is fascinating! It all starts when the female lays her tiny eggs in a nest made out of materials like spider webs and plant fibers. After about two weeks, the eggs hatch and two very small and naked baby hummingbirds appear. Over the course of the next few weeks, the babies grow feathers and are fed a diet of nectar and insects until they are ready to fly and fend for themselves. Hummingbirds can live up to 10 years and repeat this life cycle year after year!
Hummingbird learning activities for children
- Anatomy of a Hummingbird: Have children examine a preserved hummingbird or study pictures to learn about the bird’s physical features such as wings, beak, and feathers. They can then draw and label a diagram of a hummingbird’s body parts.
- Hummingbird Nectar Recipe: Teach children about the nectar that hummingbirds drink by making a simple syrup recipe using sugar and water. They can mix and heat the ingredients on the stove to dissolve the sugar and create the nectar.
- Hummingbird Migration Map: Show children a map of the United States and the migratory path of hummingbirds. They can create their own map and plot the course hummingbirds take during migration.
- Hummingbird Feeder Craft: Using recycled materials, children can create their own hummingbird feeder. They can paint and decorate a plastic bottle, cut out holes for the nectar to flow out, and hang it outside to attract hummingbirds.
- Hummingbird Flight Simulation: Using small, motorized toy helicopters, children can simulate the flight pattern and speed of hummingbirds. They can learn about how hummingbirds hover and dart back and forth quickly, and compare their flight to other birds.
- Hummingbird Habitat Garden: Children can learn about the plants and flowers that hummingbirds are attracted to by planting their own hummingbird garden. They can research which plants to include, and then plant and care for their own mini-garden.
- Hummingbird Watch: Set up a bird-watching station where children can observe hummingbirds in their natural habitat. They can use binoculars and field guides to identify different types of hummingbirds and record their sightings.
Overall, these activities are designed to foster curiosity and understanding about the science of hummingbirds while also engaging children in hands-on, Montessori-style learning experiences.
Hummingbird printable
Here is what’s included:
- Hummingbird life cycle diagram
- Hummingbird life cycle 3 part cards
- Hummingbird life cycle coloring, cutting, and pasting worksheet (color and blackline)
- Hummingbird life cycle tracing strips
- Hummingbird life cycle information cards
- Parts of a Hummingbird diagram
- Parts of a Hummingbird diagram minus labels
- Parts of a Hummingbird labels
- Parts of a Hummingbird information cards
- Parts of a Hummingbird tracing & independent writing worksheet
- Parts of a Hummingbird student booklet (independent writing)
- Species of Hummingbird 3 part cards
- Species of Hummingbird information cards
- Hummingbird characteristics color poster
- Hummingbird characteristics black line poster
- Hummingbird characteristics mat
- Hummingbird characteristics color cards
- Hummingbird characteristics tracing & coloring student booklet
- Hummingbird characteristics student booklet
- Hummingbird information poster
- My Book of Hummingbirds
- Hummingbird Food vs Preditors sorting cards
- Hummingbird anatomy diagram adjective activity
- /H/ is for hummingbird tracing worksheet
- Mirror-style hummingbird matching cards
- Pre-writing exercise
- Coloring pages
Age: Preschool ages 3 – 6 years
Subjects and uses in the classroom: Nature Table, Science Centers, Fine motor, Prewriting, Extension work for the parts of a bird Montessori puzzle.
How to Use:
Parts of a hummingbird – Gather books on hummingbirds 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. Velco will come in especially handy if you decide to take your work outdoors. Having an additional challenge for little fingers is always welcomed when working with young children!
Introduce 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 hummingbird’s body.
Print and cut student booklet pages, and staple them to make a book. Invite the child to color and label each part or dictate naming each part for you to write it down.
‘H is for hummingbird’ worksheet and prewriting exercise – print on cardstock and laminate. Supply an erasable pen. Invite the child to trace the letter ‘h’ and exercise lines. Alternatively, print pages on regular printing paper and slide them into plastic pockets.
Hummingbird mirror match-up cards -Print on cardstock and cut cards. Separate cards on two different piles. Mark the back of each pair with the matching color dots if you would like the child to do a shelf-check after he or she completed the task.
The child would need to flip each pair of cards on the other side and check if the colors on each set are matching. (There are 10 pairs).
Have a portable mirror available for children with this activity. Demonstrate the activity by placing a mirror on the right parallel to the card.
Place all the cards from the second pile in a row below. Invite the child to find the corresponding card from the second pile and match it to the corresponding card.
Coloring pages – Younger children may enjoy painting images with watercolor paints making large strokes. Children who enjoy coloring detailed illustrations will have fun choosing a coloring page that appeals to them the most. To color, use colored pens, markers, pastels, pencils, or crayons.
