The Very Greedy Bee Book Companion for Preschoolers

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What happens when a greedy bee eats too much? Find out in The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman! Then, print out this book companion which contains follow up activities for preschoolers.

When I was looking for a book to go with all of my bee-themed activities, I stumbled upon The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman. This is a great story which will have your preschooler’s attention from the start.

After reading The Very Greedy Bee with your little ones, you can talk about friendship, team work, greed, and helping others. You can also share this printable book companion with them. It’s full of fun literacy-based activities for young learners.

The Very Greedy Bee Activities

In The Very Greedy Bee, a greedy bee learns a lesson when he “slurps and burps” too much nectar, falls asleep in the meadow, and needs help from other insects to find his way home after dark. (summary from Amazon)

After reading the story, you can talk with your kiddos about insects, bees specifically, generosity vs. greed, and team work. The images are bright and vivid. The story is simple enough to engage toddlers and preschoolers alike.

This printable book companion works well as a follow-up to the book. In this free activity pack, you’ll find many literacy activities, a “what’s your favorite part?” summary page, and a popular bee-themed finger play to do with your kids.

What’s Included

Start out teaching your preschoolers the popular Baby Bumblebee finger play. I’ve included a printable which includes the verses and the accompanying hand movements. If your kids would like to see this fingerplay in action, share this video with them:

Preschoolers will work on visual discrimination skills as they look for matching images on the “Find the Match” worksheet.

Work on phonics and early literacy skills with the following pages:

• Rhyming Words: Kids will color pictures of items that rhyme with bee. 

• What Begins with B?: Circle the objects that start with the /b/ sound.

• Sort the Sounds: Students will say the name of 12 objects and sort them according to whether or not they hear the /ee/ sound.

• Gr- Practice: Kids will draw a line from the picture to the word that names it. Each image begins with the gr- blend.

• Bb Practice: On this page, kids will identify the letters B and b as well as items that begin with the /b/ sound.

Young learners need as much fine motor practice as you can give them. This is how they build up those small hand muscles that will help them have better handwriting later on. This pack includes 2 fine motor activities. The bee maze is so much fun. The trace the lines page has little ones helping the bee find his hive. Laminate these pages or slip them in a pouch so kids can use it over and over again.

Finally, we’ll get into a few story-specific pages. The first page encourages little ones to write about and illustrate their favorite part of the story. Will it be when the bee is so fat he can’t fly? Or will it be the ending when he’s learned his lesson? Or, maybe it’s a different part altogether.

The last page has kids labeling the pictures from the story. They’ll use a word bank to see how to spell the words. If the lines are too small for your child’s handwriting, they can cut out the words in the word bank and glue them in the boxes.

Download the Very Hungry Bee Activities.

You can get this freebie as a “thank you” when you sign up for my email list. Just click on the button below, enter your information, and you’ll have instant access to this pack.

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More Bee Books to Explore

• Explore My World: Honey Bees | In this charming picture book, curious little kids will learn all about the bustling world of honeybees and the important role they play in our delicate ecosystem.

• Bee: A Peek-Through Book | Through a hole in the book’s cover, a bee is buzzing inside a flower. Peek into this bright and lively book and discover the big ways this little insect contributes to the beauty of the environment, from pollinating colorful flowers to buzzing about the bright and beautiful meadow.

Hands-On Resources for Teaching About Bees

• Safari Ltd Life Cycle of a Honey Bee | Honey Bees are fascinating creatures which have been kept by humans for centuries. Now you can explore the life cycle of the honey bee without being stung. Watch as it grows from an egg, to a larva, and to a pupa before finally emerging as a mature adult.

• Folkmanis Honey Bee Hand Puppet | Easily animate the antics of this engaging Honey Bee plush hand puppet!

• Book Plus Bee Life Cycle Foam Model | Model may be used as a puzzle to challenge students, and as a hands-on teaching tool that explores the development of a bee through its various life cycle stages. This model includes an illustrated activity card that describes the life cycle, and removable feet that act as a base.

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