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Free Printable Insect Trace and Color Pages

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These free printable insect trace and color pages are fine motor fun for kids. Your child gets to create their own coloring page by tracing the cute insect image, then they can color the sheet in. Grab 25 cute insect tracing pages for free!

If you’d prefer a more traditional coloring page, please see this post with free printable cute insect coloring sheets for kids. This images in the two sets are different, even though many of the insect species are the same. Make sure to download both if you have a little bug-lover in your family!

A preview of seven printable trace and color insect pages. Each page has "trace and color the..." at the top and a cute insect to trace with dotted lines instead of solid lines. Insects include: ant, butterfly, bee, cricket, jewel beetle, caterpillar, rhinoceros beetle.

This post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases made through links at no additional cost to you.

Please note that, while I’m calling these insect trace and color pages, a handful of the pictured critters are not actually insects. There are spider, worm, and snail pages, too. This still leaves 20+ “real” insects. Many of my daughters favorite bug books include these critters, so I thought it would be okay to go ahead and include them here, too.

These trace and color pages can be used for anytime fun or as part of a homeschool lesson plan about spring, summer, gardening, ecosystems, or insects. 

My daughter loves insects (and so does my husband), so we have several books about bugs. Her favorite is the DK Big Book of Bugs. The book is physically very large (but not super thick so it isn’t too big and heavy for kids to hold) and filled with close up photos of insects from around the world. It has enough information to be interesting without being long and boring. The publisher’s suggested reading age is 5-8, but my 3 year old loves it, too.

Big Book of Bugs
Big Book of Bugs
  • Books, Butterfly, Butterfly Books, Educational Books, Insect Books, Insects Spiders etc., Other Insects, Spider, Spider Books
  • Hardcover Book
  • DK (Author)
Check current price

For a more complete guide to bugs, my husband recommends the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. His quest for insect knowledge began with an etymologist friend when we lived in Hawaii and has only grown from there. This book is his standby whenever he goes outdoors hunting for insets to photograph.

Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Kaufman Field Guides)
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Kaufman Field Guides)
  • Eaton, Eric R. (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 392 Pages - 02/28/2007 (Publication Date) - Mariner Books (Publisher)
Check current price

How to use trace and color pages

Trace and color pages are like a cross between connect the dots printables and coloring pages. There are dotted, but not numbered, lines to trace in order to create a picture to color.

Tracing pages are great fine motor practice for children. Tracing is considered important pre-writing practice for young children, and it helps older children, too. Tracing can help with:

  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Fine motor skills
  • Spatial awareness

Your child can practice tracing with their index finger, then with a writing tool like a pencil, crayon, or marker. Crayons and pencils have more friction, which means they’re more challenging to draw with. Markers have less friction and are easier to draw with.

For these particular tracing pages, I recommend using either colored pencils or thinner markers like Crayola Supertips. They will allow your child to trace the drawings accurately and color in the details.

Crayola Super Tips Marker Set (100 Count), Washable Markers, Kids Gifts for...
Crayola Products - Crayola - Pencils Long Cannon Woodcase Color, 3.3mm, 24...
Crayola Super Tips Marker Set (100 Count), Washable Markers, Kids Gifts for...
Crayola Products - Crayola - Pencils Long Cannon Woodcase Color, 3.3mm, 24...
Crayola Super Tips Marker Set (100 Count), Washable Markers, Kids Gifts for...
Crayola Super Tips Marker Set (100 Count), Washable Markers, Kids Gifts for...
Crayola Products - Crayola - Pencils Long Cannon Woodcase Color, 3.3mm, 24...
Crayola Products - Crayola - Pencils Long Cannon Woodcase Color, 3.3mm, 24...

Insect pin punching pages

These tracing pages can also be used as a Montessori pin punching activity. Montessori pin punching/push pin work involves using a pen or stylus to punch holes along a shape. A piece of felt, cork board, or foam core board is used as a backing behind the shape being punched. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Montessori work, this activity may sound strange and dangerous to you. However, it’s very beneficial for your child’s fine motor development. It’s a frequently used activity in Montessori Primary classrooms with ages 3-6. 

To make pin punching work safer, use a pencil-sized stylus with a dull end. (Not an affiliate link, just a company I personally shop with.) Always supervise your child closely while they’re engaged in pin punching. 

If you want to see a step-by-step view of pin punching, this post from Montessori Album has great photos. 

Two printable insect trace and color pages for children. The page on top has a ladybug with dotted lines to trace. The page behind has a butterfly to trace.

Printable insect tracing pages download

Like all free printable coloring pages here on The Artisan Life, these are licensed for personal and single classroom use. This means you’re welcome to print and use them for your own children, students, homeschool co-op, Scout troop, therapy clients, etc. as long as you are personally organizing the activity.

You are not licensed to redistribute the files or printouts to others for their personal or classroom use. Instead, please refer your friends and colleagues to this post so they can download their own copies.

Because children, and lesson plans, frequently call for something very specific, the insect tracing pages are individually downloadable. Individual download links are located below the corresponding preview image. The link should open in a new tab/window and start downloading automatically. You may need to authorize downloads from Dropbox.

If you have an insect-lover in your family, you can save time by downloading all 25 tracing pages in one handy file for the very low price of $3. (Keep scrolling a tiny bit more for the individual freebie links!)

Don’t worry – the purple logo is not on your PDF! Remember to use the download link below each image to get your printable. The link is large and in bold to make it easier to spot.

A printable trace and color page with a cute ant to trace and color. The ant has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Ant tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute bee to trace and color. The bee has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Bee tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute butterfly to trace and color. The butterfly has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Butterfly tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute flying butterfly to trace and color. The butterfly has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Flying butterfly tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute caterpillar to trace and color. The caterpillar has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Caterpillar tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute centipede to trace and color. The centipede has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Centipede tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute cricket to trace and color. The cricket has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Cricket tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute dragonfly to trace and color. The dragonfly has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Dragonfly tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute earthworm to trace and color. The earthworm has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Earthworm tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute flower mantis to trace and color. The flower mantis has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Flower mantis tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute fly to trace and color. The fly has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Fly tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute goliath beetle to trace and color. The goliath beetle has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Goliath beetle tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute grasshopper to trace and color. The grasshopper has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Grasshopper tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute jewel beetle to trace and color. The jewel beetle has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Jewel beetle tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute ladybug earring a flower to trace and color. The ladybug has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Ladybug tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute moth to trace and color. The moth has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Moth tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute pill bug to trace and color. The pill bug has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Pill bug tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute praying mantis to trace and color. The praying mantis has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Praying mantis tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute rhinoceros beetle to trace and color. The rhinoceros beetle has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

rhinoceros beetle tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute snail to trace and color. The snail has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Snail tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute spider to trace and color. The spider has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Spider tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute stick bug to trace and color. The stick bug has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Stick bug tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute stink bug to trace and color. The sink bug has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Stink bug tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a cute termite to trace and color. The termite has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Termite tracing page download

A printable trace and color page with a wasp to trace and color. The wasp has dotted lines instead of solid lines for a child to trace.

Wasp tracing page download

I hope your family or students enjoy these insect tracing pages! Be sure to grab these additional free printables for spring:

Spring Printables

15+ Free Printable Ladybug Coloring Pages

These ladybug coloring pages are so cute!

Free Spring Memory Game Printable 

Free Printable Spring Counting Clip Cards

Help your child practice their numbers 1-12 with these cute spring count and clip cards.

Free Printable Spring Ten Frames

These ten frame cards are a great way to practice counting, one to one correspondence, and even fine motor skills.

Free Printable Spring Addition Worksheets

These spring addition worksheets feature numbers 1-10 and sums up to 10.

Spring Journal Prompts

Rejuvenate your journaling practcie for spring with 100 journal prompts for adults.

Free Printable Spring Do a Dot Marker Coloring Pages

Do a dot pages are always a favorite with young children. They're fun and no-prep, plus you can make them mess free by using round coding label stickers instead of dauber markers.

Free Printable Flower Pot Templates 

These printable flower pot templates are perfect for preschool and kindergarten crafts.

Free Printable Spring Counting Book 

Preschoolers and kindergarteners love completing this free printable spring counting book! Staple the pages or laminate and hole punch them for a reusable counting and coloring book.

Free Printable Rainbow Coloring Pages

Your children will love these cute rainbow coloring pages! They're perfect for St. Patrick's Day, spring, and weather study units.

Free Printable Garden Planner

Finally have a successful garden with this beauitful free garden planner.

Free Easter Planner Printable

Stay organized this Easter season, practice 40 days of gratitude plan the perfect Easter dinner, and finally remember where you hid all of the eggs with this free printable Easter planner.

9 Free Printable Ladybug Templates 

These ladybug templates are so cute for spring crafts! They also make fantastic simple coloring pages for toddlers.

21+ Spring Coloring Pages for Adults

Color your stress away with 21+ free printable spring coloring pages for adults.

Free Spring Word Search Printable 

This free printable spring word search comes with an answer key.

Free Printable Spring Bingo

Your whole family can play this cute and colorful spring bingo game! No reading is required, so even young children can play, too.

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natashalh - the artisan life

Hi, I’m Natasha! I’m so glad you’re here.

I’m a former classroom teacher with a Masters of the Arts in Teaching turned homeschooler & gardener. I share educational & planner printables and tips for making gardening with kids successful and affordable.

I also publish printed coloring & activity books. You can also find me on YouTube.

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