The Very Busy Spider Preschool Activities

Previous Knowledge

For students to be able to complete this activity, they should be somewhat familiar with various farm animal noises. Before doing this activity, discuss different types of animals with your students. Ask students to make animal sounds to match the animal you are discussing. If possible, show children pictures of the animals as you help them to make the sounds. One activity suggestion for practicing farm animal noises is to sing “Old Macdonald Had a Farm” with your students.

The Very Busy Spider

To complete this preschool activity on farm animals noises, complete the simple instructions below.

• Ask children to sit down in the reading area.
• Separate children into 10 groups. There are 10 animal sounds to make, so you are making a group for each animal. Separate children as need be based on the size of your class.
• Explain to the children that you are going to read the book The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle.
• Tell the children that each group will be responsible for an animal sound. Designate farm animal sounds to the groups.
• Read the story to the children. If need be, read the sound so the children know what sound they need to make. When it is that group’s turn to make a farm animal noise, let them know with a word or gesture that it is their turn.

Once you have read the book and the children have made the sounds, ask them if they know where these animals are located. Explain that these animals live on a farm. Ask the students what kind of animals the spider may have heard if she were in a zoo. What kind of animals would the spider have heard if she were in a forest?

Go over some animals and their sounds from various areas. Some examples are below.

• Forest; woodpecker, wolf, snake, squirrel, frog and cricket
• Zoo; monkey, lion, elephant, and tiger

Once you have reviewed animals from different places as well as their sounds, ask the children about the animals that are near their homes. Point out the differences in the sounds the children who live in the city hear, and the sounds that the children who live in the country hear. This is a great way to develop a child’s interest in animals as well as in their own surroundings. Once you have reviewed animals and their sounds, you may even want to use those sounds in a game for the children. To play the game, ask children to take turns thinking of animals. Then, they describe to the class where the animals live and what sounds they make. The other students can guess which animal they are talking about!

Upon completion of this activity, students should be able to identify animals and their sounds as well as where some of the more familiar animals might be found. Use this lesson plan to prepare your students for a future lesson plan on the differences between living in the country and living in the city.