In our home, springtime brings a renewed focus on the topic of life cycles. As a parent, I am often asked how to introduce the concept of metamorphosis, larva, pupa and more to young children who may not be able to visualize these processes. It is a fascinating subject that is easy to understand. I begin by telling engaging stories that help children understand that just like humans, baby animals come from their mothers and fathers. Some animals start their life as eggs and then undergo a gradual transformation that ultimately leads to adulthood.

To help explain these concepts more effectively, we use a variety of learning materials that bring these life cycles to life for children. As we follow the "Montessori" philosophy in our homeschool, we prefer to use hands-on learning experiences that allow children to explore and learn in a natural way. Whether it's using specialized learning materials or observing real-life examples in nature, we strive to make learning about life cycles as engaging and interactive as possible.

Here are some activities and resources to help with your life cycle studies. I've also included child-friendly and easy-to-read books to go with your activities.

ANIMAL STUDY BOOKS FOR KIDS

We love books!!! And we have 3 sets of book series to go along with our animal life cycle studies. These books are easy to read and understand with lots of beautiful and realistic illustrations.

My First Discovery Books Series:

Bee
Frog
Butterfly
The Ladybird
Fish
Turtles and Snails
Birds
Bears / Polar Bears (not in the picture)
Ants (not in the picture)

Backyard Books Series:

Read and Find Out Books Series:

LIFE CYCLE FIGURES

The life cycle figures we possess are nothing short of extraordinary. They are incredibly realistic and have proven to be a game changer in our studies. These figures have provided the kids with a unique hands-on experience, enabling them to understand the different stages of an animal's life cycle, from egg to adulthood.

It's almost impossible to witness some of these cycles firsthand, but the figures have made it possible for the kids to get a clear understanding, without any guesswork. The level of detail on these figures is exceptional, and they have sparked curiosity and interest in the kids, especially the younger ones.

Overall, these figures have been a valuable tool in our studies, and we are grateful to have them.

Available Animal Life Cycle Figures:

LIFE CYCLE MATS

As the children were growing up, they were introduced to animal life cycle mats, which helped them learn about the growth and development of different species. Initially, I used to create custom life cycle mats for them with real pictures, inspired by Montessori teachings. However, due to limited distribution rights, I was unable to continue making them. Nevertheless, I am grateful that there are a few talented artists who create realistic representations of these life cycle images, which we are currently using at home. These images are a perfect match for our collection of figures, enabling the children to easily identify and match them to the mats. As a result, my children are now more knowledgeable about the life cycles of various species, and they enjoy using these mats to learn more about their favorite animals.

These life cycle mats have been specially created for young children who have not yet learned to read. The visually appealing mats feature easy-to-understand images and clear labels to help children learn about the different stages of life cycles. These mats are a great tool for educators who want to introduce their students to the wonders of nature and help them build a strong foundation for future learning.

These mats have been very helpful in learning the life cycles of various animals. The update includes a wider variety of organisms in the Animal Kingdom, not just insects. You can purchase the animal life cycle mats by clicking the image below or by visiting the shop.

Get it here:

We have life cycle mats in most of the animals in the Animal Kingdom. Aside from vertebrates (insects) we have snails for mollusks, spider for arachnids, salmon for fish, and polar bear for mammals.

Earthworm for annelids.

Frog for amphibians.

Turtle for reptiles and chicken for birds.

Presenting these to the child (one at a time) will give them ideas on how each of these animals were born (some are from eggs or born as a young) and how they developed into adults. As you can see, Vito loved matching and organizing these life cycle mats. Because of repetition, he became aware and familiar with the words larva and pupa. That larva comes after the egg and that the pupa is the stage wherein most animals are cocooned except for the polar bears because polar bears are mammals.

*** Note that our LIFE CYCLE MATS BUNDLE IS GROWING. I will continue to add mats here as we study more life cycles. And it also includes life cycles of plants. Currently it has the bean plant.

LIFE CYCLE PUZZLES

And finally, we have tons of puzzles to go along with our life cycle studies. If you are following my Instagram, you know by now that my kids love puzzles.

Beleduc Life Cycle Puzzles:

Life Cycle of a Frog Layered Puzzle
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Layered Puzzle

Goki Life Cycle Puzzles:

Life Cycle of a Chicken
Life Cycle of a Tree

And that's about it! With all the resources I laid out, I hope you'll find something helpful for your own school. Let me know if we missed anything!

This post is part of the 12 Months More of Montessori which is hosted by Natural Beach Living and The Natural Homeschool.