Butterfly & Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Cards {FREE}

Spring time is the PERFECT time to introduce your students to the world of butterfly & frog life cycles! Children always seem so amazed by the magnificent transformation that each of these animals go through during their lifetime. Butterflies and frogs can be spotted more frequently in nature as the weather starts warming up. By focusing on these more commonly found creatures, you are making a concrete real-world connection that is sure to make a lasting impression!

Before starting any life cycle lesson, it may be a good idea to begin with a nature walk. Have students draw or write the various living things they observe in nature. Then, you can talk about what they found and how each living thing goes through a specific life cycle. Some keep a similar shape and form most of their lives, while others go through a pretty amazing metamorphosis! We also love introducing butterfly and frog life cycles with books. Here is a list of a few of our favorites:

The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach (this book is adorable and so funny!)

From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Hiligman

National Geographic Readers: Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh

Frogs by Gail Gibbons

National Geographic Readers: Tadpole to Frog by Shira Evans

Use the following sequencing activities to have students practice what they are learning in an easy to implement and most importantly, fun way!

What You’ll Need

• scissors
• life cycle printables (sequencing cards, sorting mat, writing pages)
• crayons or markers
• laminator and card stock (optional)

Butterfly & Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Activity

All you need to do before having students use the cards and sorting mat, is to print and cut out the color cards. You can print them on card stock or laminate them for extra durability. Place them in your science center so that students can practice sequencing the cards in the correct life cycle order. We even included a set of black and white printable cards for your students to color! They can keep these to practice at their desk or at home if you chose not to set up a center.

Once students have the opportunity to practice sorting the butterfly and frog cards in the correct order, you can assess their learning with the included writing pages. They can use these pages to draw and write about the life cycle of a butterfly or frog using the words “first, then, next, & last/finally”.

Extending the Life Cycle Learning

What we love the most about this science topic is that there are so many ways to extend the learning in a hands-on way. Using small models of the butterfly and frog life cycles makes this activity even more exciting! You can place them in your center next to the activity so that students have a tactile and 3-dimensional example of each important stage of the animal’s life. We like the life cycle figurines made by Insect Lore and own quite a few of them for our science center.

If time permits, our favorite way of bringing the learning to life is to witness a live transformation by ordering caterpillars and a habitat to watch how a butterfly emerges from it’s chrysalis. Insect Lore sells kits that come with everything you need to safely raise Painted Lady butterflies in your classroom or homeschool setting. We do this activity EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. and it never disappoints! Watching how excited our kids get when the butterflies emerge and releasing them into nature is a truly magical experience!

Click on the button below to download your copy of our Life Cycle Sequencing activities. Enjoy!

Check out even more butterfly and frog investigation activities available in our shop and TPT.