Hands-on Spider activities for Kids and Teaching Resources

Try these fun hands-on spider activities for kids and teaching resources.

Fall brings spiders out in force around here. There are orb weavers outside my front door spinning huge intricate webs right now. I am just leaving them up and calling them Halloween decorations. (Here’s a fun Halloween science experiment for you to try!)

While I find them fascinating when I am studying them through my window, I am not such a fan when there is nothing separating me from them. But, I still want my kids to learn about them and appreciate their unique anatomy and characteristics. I want that for your kids, too. Use the fun facts and activities in this post to actually have fun with spiders!

spider unit study

Fun Spider Facts

Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids.
Spiders have 8 legs.
Most spider species have 8 eyes. The others have less.
Spiders can be beneficial in the garden, because they eat harmful insects such as aphids and beetles.
There are over 40,000 known species of spiders in the world.
Most spiders spin spider webs to capture prey for food. Other spiders hunt their prey.
Female spiders can lay up to 3,000 eggs at one time.
Wolf spiders carry their babies on their backs.
The Giant Huntsman spider is the largest spider in the world with a legspan of up to 1 foot.

Hands-On Spider Unit Study Activities

Chalk Pastel Spider Tutorial. This is actually what kicked off our spider study. Draw, paint, or trace a spider.
Make A Spider Play Dough Mat Game
Spider Web Game. Create a duct tape web in a hallway and let the kids throw paper towels at the “web” to mimic insects that might get caught in a spider web.
Make Your Own Spider Web. I love the idea of using sticks and string to let kids create their own webs.
Spider Animal Classification. This is definitely one of my favorite notebooking pages from The Notebooking Fairy, I have this saved as a bookmark. Animal Classification sheet is perfect for older learners.
Spider Snack. You don’t have to wait for Halloween to enjoy a spider snack. These Oreo and pretzel spiders are just as fun for the kids to make as they are to eat!

Other Spider Resources

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hands-on spider unit study resources