Rounding the corner to our apartment I was momentarily shocked to find a spider web with spiders crawling all over our door. It takes a second for me to remember that I helped my 5 year old twins create it last night despite my intense fear of all things creepy and crawly.
My kids are obsessed with Halloween and fascinated by spiders. This week’s Virtual Book Club for Kids theme (SPIDERS!!) is perfect for them. If your kids are excited about all things spooky and Halloween or just really like spiders and bugs, then this Spider Story Time is for you!
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Read: The Very Busy Spider
Story time begins with books so here are some fun books for your Spider Story Time. The first is our featured book The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle.
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
The life of a spider is a busy one. Those beautiful (or creepy) webs are not easily or quickly created or so you are taught by this classic Eric Carle book. The little spider is working hard on her web while one by one the other animals in the farm invite her to join them on various romps. She ignores them an plods on because she is a very busy spider. The repetitive text throughout the story makes it perfect for toddlers, but also for preschoolers who like to predict what’s coming next and early readers, like my twins, who are working on figuring out what words say. Illustrated in the recognizable and colorful Carle style and full of fun animals, this is a great book for kids of all ages. Find on Amazon.
Additional Spider Story Time Books
Sylvie
by Jean Reidy and Lucy Ruth Cummins
Find On Amazon
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks
Find on Amazon
Spinning Spiders by Melvin Berger
Find on Amazon
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
Find on Amazon
Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk
Find on Amazon
Also Read: New Halloween Books for Kids age 3-10
Sing: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
I love to add some kind of music or rhyme into every story time. For this one the answer is pretty obvious, sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” For some extra fun, however, I always like to add a few extra fun verses. I listed our favorites below but feel free to make up your own.
Verses for The Itsy Bitsy Spider:
- The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout… (sing in a little squeaky voice)
- The Big Fat Hairy Spider went up the water spout… (sing in a deep voice)
- The Quick, Speedy Spider went up the water spout… (sing the whole verse really fast)
- The Really Slow Spider went up the water spout… (sing the whole verse really really slow)
- The Very Sad Spider went up the water spout… (sing in a melancholy voice)
- The Very Happy Spider went up the water spout… (sing in a happy upbeat way)
Also Read: Ultimate Halloween Story Time Idea Round Up
Group Activity: Spider Story Time Activity Ideas
During story time, we like to do a group activity in between stories. This is a great time to do a collaborative project, movement activity, or introduce a new skill to your kids. Below are some fabulous spider related ideas from my Virtual Book Club for Kids co-hosts that would work for group time – make sure to check below for their excellent table play ideas for afterwards.
Alphabet Activities
Alphabet Spider Sticky Wall from Toddler Approved
Color Learning Activities
Feed the Spider Color Catapulting from Preschool Powol Packets
Pre-Writing Activities
Spider Web Sensory Bottle Activity from The Educators’ Spin On It
Movement Activities
Spider Web Obstacle Course from Mama Smiles
Table Invitations: Spider Sensory Bin
After story time we head to the table. Often there are choices set out in various stations, but sometimes there is one related project to work on for everyone. This is another time that you have to figure out what works for you.
My idea for this book was simple – a sensory bin. I must admit I have been a little lazy about sensory play lately and since spiders are a very creepy skin crawling experience for me what would a Spider Story Time be without some spiders!
The supplies are simple and creating it was even easier. And as my kids showed me, they could be used in more than one way. Once your sensory bin is prepared (directions below) then set this out on the table for after group time or story time or for another play time for your child to explore.
Materials to Gather:
Thick White Yarn (I used one skein for a smaller sensory bin – recommend two or three for a larger one)
Scissors
Sensory Bin, Tub or Large Box
Cups or Bowls
Tweezers or Clothespins
Dice
How to Create Your Sensory Bin
- Cut the chunky white yarn into pieces of various lengths. Cotton or pretend spider webbing would also work as a filler.
2. Add the spiders. Some should be well hidden and others popping out to intrigue your child.
3. Lay out the dice and materials for collecting the spiders.
How to Play Spider Story Time Count
1. Explore. Always the first step with a new material! Just give your kids time to investigate the materials.
2. Invite your kids to collect spiders in bowls using fingers, then try other ways of grabbing hold of the spiders such as tweezers or tongs.
3. For preschoolers, turn it into a number game. Have them roll the dice and figure out what number it states. This is great practice with counting with one to one correspondence. Then have your child find that many spiders for their cup.
Keep playing until you reach a goal number (if you like competitive games) or you collect all of the spiders.
When they were done, my kids decided to build their own web. After reading Spinning Spiders (one of the additional books we read above) they started brainstorming different kinds of spider webs. Soon yarn was wrapped around the legs of the table, then a chair, and the next thing I knew we were creating a spider web on our door to spook our neighbors.
The organized side of me is completely stressed out by this kind of thing, but the teacher part of me usually wins and recognizes that this is awesome. It can be so frustrating to plan an activity and then have them branch off in their own direction but step back and think about your goals for them.
My kids did the activity. They enjoyed it. They did a great job counting. Then, however, they thought about what they read and came up with a creative and collaborative way to replicate that.
Sure it meant there was yarn everywhere and I’m still stepping on random spiders (eek! every time) and sure the yarn is now forever knotted, but that isn’t the point. All this to say, these activities are a starting point but encourage those bursts of inspiration from your creative little thinkers!
More Table Spider Activities for Preschoolers
It is kind of amazing how many spider activities there are out there – but lucky for you some of the very best have been rounded up here for you. My kids are so excited to decorate that we made some simple spiders below together and even more ideas are below.
Simple Spider Craft
My kids are excited about decorating and wanted still more spiders, so we made these simple spiders together. All you need is: Cardboard, Hole Punch, Black Paint, Black Pipe Cleaners, Googly Eyes (I prefer the self adhesive ones) and a scissors.
To Make:
1.Cut the cardboard into a circle – one per child.
2. Punch 8 holes in it.
3. Give each child the circle to paint black.
4. When the paint dries offer them pipe cleaners and google eyes. We used 4 pipe cleaners per spider and wove each through 2 holes.
Even More Spider Ideas
Here are some additional ideas from my Virtual Book Club for Kids co-hosts to do with preschoolers after your spider story time.
Alphabet Activities
Printable Spider Web Letter Match Activity from Artsy Momma
Spider Writing Tray from Adventures of Adam
Name Learning Activities
Name Webs from Rainy Day Mum
Numbers Learning Activities
Fingerprint Spiders from Messy Little Monsters
Hands on Spider Counting Activity from School Time Snippets
Sensory Activities
Spider Sensory Bin from Sugar, Spice, and Glitter
Science Activities
A Very Busy Climbing Spider: DIY Toy from To Be A Kid Again
Spider Types Matching Cards from Kori at Home
Color Learning Activities
How to Make a Rainbow Spider Web from Powerful Mothering
Shapes Learning Activities
Spider Shape Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom
Creepy-Crawly Pattern Block Mats from Chickadee Lit
Spider Counting Puzzles from Sea of Knowledge
Such a simple and fun sensory bin! Thanks for sharing so many ways to use it, too!
Thanks Kristina! I was hoping to make it open ended enough to work for different needs – I’m so glad you see the potential!