Bug in a Jar

A fun, hands-on early maths game for counting,color recognition and fine motor skills.

Get young learners excited about maths with this engaging Bug in a Jar counting game! Children roll the dice, collect colorful bugs and race to fill their jars while developing essential early maths and fine motor skills.

This low-preparation printable activity is ideal for Reception, Foundation Phase,home school, small-group activities, intervention groups and learning through play.

What’s Included

This printable resource includes:

4 colorful Bug Jar Mats with Red, Teal/Blue, Yellow and Purple lids
Each jar has spaces to fill
4 printable Bug Sheets with matching colored ladybugs
1 Number Dice Template with familiar dot patterns
1 Color and Action Dice Template featuring:
Red
Teal
Yellow
Purple
Lose a Turn
Roll Twice
How to Play:
Each player chooses a colored bug jar.
Players take turns rolling both dice.
The number die tells the player how many bugs to collect.
The color and action die tells the player which color bug to collect.
Players place the correct bugs into their jar.
Special actions, including Lose a Turn and Roll Twice, add an exciting element to the game.
The first player to fill all spaces in their jar wins!

This resource provides opportunities to practice:
Counting
Number recognition
One-to-one correspondence
Color recognition
Early number sense
Turn-taking
Listening and following instructions
Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Fine Motor Adaptations

Make the activity even more hands-on by replacing the printable bugs with:
Mini counters
Tweezers or tongs
Dot markers or daubers

Using tweezers or tongs provides an additional opportunity to develop fine motor strength and coordination.

Different Ways to Use This Resource

Maths Centers:
Add the game to an independent or small-group maths station.

Small-Group Learning:
Use the activity to practice counting, number sense and turn-taking with teacher support.
Fine Motor Practice:
Use small tweezers to combine maths learning with fine motor development.

Challenge:
Encourage learners to recognize the number patterns on the dice without counting each dot individually.

Exact Count Challenge:
For more confident learners, require an exact roll to fill the remaining spaces in their jar.

Cooperative Learning:
Learners can work together to fill one jar before a timer runs out.

Ideal For
Nursery
Preschool
Reception
Kindergarten
Foundation Phase

Homeschooling
SEN and SEND learners
Intervention groups

Bring counting, color recognition and number sense to life with this fun and flexible hands-on maths game!