Free Crab Life Cycle Worksheets for Kids

Discover the captivating world of crabs with our engaging and educational crab life cycle worksheets!

In these 8-page life cycle worksheets all about the crab, you will find a life cycle of a crab, an information report, opinion writing, crab research, and more.

These worksheets are perfect for 2nd to 4th grade students, but can easily be adapted for younger or older learners.

Best of all, these worksheets require no preparation, making them ideal for those last minute learning moments at home or in school.

**There may be affiliate links in this post. You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.**

Table of Contents

Life cycle of a crab printable

The kids are going to love our free crab life cycle printables. You will love it too, especially as you will already have all the supplies needed!

Supplies Needed:

cardstock (printer paper will also work)
coloring pens
paper cutter or scissors
glue
brass fasteners

GLINGLONG Life Cycle Kit Toy Montessori – Realistic Figurine Toys, Kids Figure Animal Match Set with Frog, Ladybug & Butterfly – Includes 12-Piece. Educational & Fun Matching Game for Children 3+Life Cycles: Everything from Start to Finish (DK Life Cycles)The Happy Crab The Brave Little Crab – A Children’s Book for Ages 4-10, Discover the Ocean Tale Teaching Kids that Whoever You Are, It’s Okay to Be Different – Inclusive Books for Kids to Help Embrace Uniqueness A House for Hermit Crab – 3.9 x 0.3 x 5.5 inches Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars: Take-Along Guide (Take Along Guides)

What’s included in the download?

Print out the crab worksheets below, they will print out on 9 full pages. Make sure to check the printer settings.

Research crab information plus find 8 interesting facts about them.
Opinion writing.
Crab fact sheet, use the internet and books to learn more about them.
Research the 4 main stages of the crab’s life.
Color and label the parts of a crab.
Color and label the different cycles of the crab.
Crab foldable craft, color, cut, stick, and fold the 4 main life stages.
Crab life cycle spinning wheel craft.

The first worksheet is a planning sheet where the children have to find out about crabs. What their appearance is, their habitat and diet, movement, and any interesting facts.

Interesting facts about crabs

Crabs are fascinating creatures, and I’m sure kids will love learning about them. Here are eight interesting crab facts:

Crabs have a hard exoskeleton made of chitin, the same material that makes up the outer shell of insects. Their exoskeleton doesn’t grow, so as they grow, they molt (shed their old shell) and grow a new, larger one!
Crabs are famous for their unique way of walking. Instead of moving forward like humans, they walk sideways! This side-to-side movement helps them move quickly and efficiently on sandy beaches and rocky shores.
Crabs have eyes that can move independently! Each eye sits on a stalk and can rotate 360 degrees, giving crabs excellent vision to watch out for predators or search for food.
Crabs have powerful claws, also called chelae, that they use for various purposes. Some crabs use their claws for defense, while others use them to catch prey or even communicate with each other through gestures.
Hermit crabs are unique because they don’t have a hard exoskeleton of their own. Instead, they use empty snail shells to protect their soft bodies. As they grow, they find larger shells and move in, leaving their old, smaller shell behind.
Crabs come in many vibrant colors! From bright red and blue to yellow and even multi-colored patterns, they are a colorful bunch. The colors can help them blend into their surroundings or warn predators to stay away.
The blue crab, native to the Atlantic coast of the Americas, is one of the few species of crabs that can swim in the water like a fish. They are strong swimmers, using their paddle-shaped rear legs to move swiftly through the water.
Crabs have a unique way of communicating with each other. They make different sounds by rubbing their claws or legs together, creating a sort of crab language! This helps them express feelings like aggression, courtship, and even warnings to other crabs.

These are just ideas, let the children come up with their own answers.

I love this opinion writing worksheet. Which do you like better a sea turtle or a crab?

The children will need access to the internet to complete the information about crabs. They need to find:

In what countries can you find crabs in their natural habitat?
How long do crabs live? In the wild, and in captivity
How many babies do they typically have?
The type of birth, is it egg or live?
What food do crabs eat? How do they get their food?
What is the population of crabs? What is their biggest threat?

We also use the book Life Cycles for our studies they do not have the crab but we still love it. We also love to use this life cycle kit.

Research the different stages of a crab’s life cycle.

The next two pages involve labeling and coloring the crab.

Label the parts of a crab worksheet, claw, walking legs, antennae, abdomen, eyes, swimming legs. Then color in the crab.

On the next page, the children have to color the different stages of the crab’s life, and then label which is which.

life cycle of a crab coloring matching page

Scroll to the bottom of the page to grab all 8 free life cycle of a crab worksheets.

Free crab crafts

The first page is a fun crab craft that involves coloring, folding, cutting, and gluing.

I recommend coloring the images in first, but if you are working with much younger children then you might want to cut them in advance.

Cut up the crab craft, younger children may need some help.

Sort the images into the correct order and glue them under the crab. When you have glued the pictures you need to fold them along the dotted lines.

For even more animal life cycle activities is the life cycle of a crab spinner wheel.

Cut out the two circles, and make sure on the crab life cycle image you cut out the blank quarter.

Place the crab life cycle image with the quarter cut out on top of the other image and add a brass fastener to the middle.

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The best crab books for kids

Carry on learning about crabs with these fun book lists for kids:

Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars is an informative and portable guide that introduces young readers to the captivating world of seashells, crabs, and sea stars. Offering fascinating facts and beautiful illustrations for an engaging learning experience.

Crab and Whale is a heartwarming and mindful story that follows Crab and Whale on their journey to spread kindness and understanding. Teaching children valuable lessons about empathy and compassion.

In Who Would Win, Lobster vs Crab two sea creatures go head-to-head in an exciting and educational battle. Inviting young readers to compare the strengths and characteristics of lobsters and crabs to determine who would come out victorious in this fun and informative showdown.

Tips for downloading the free files

Below is a blue cloud with an arrow pointing downward. Underneath that is a large sign-up box where you need to add your name and email address, and press I NEED THIS NOW!

Within minutes you will be sent the free PDF directly to your email address, so you can print it out and start using it immediately.

Sometimes emails get a little wonky, so if you can’t see it, please check your spam folder where I am sure it is hiding.

Download the free printable crab life cycle worksheets

If you are running short on time you can download all of our life cycle worksheets. There are 247 pages over 23 different life cycles.

These worksheets are free to print but are for personal or classroom use only.

Make sure you choose the correct paper size and click on the shrink to fit button. All of our free printables for kids work better when printed on cardstock (this is the one we use and love.)

Last Updated on 2 October 2023 by homeschoolof1