Free Crab Life Cycle Worksheets for Kids

Step into the amazing journey of crabs from tiny eggs to full-grown adults with our easy-to-use crab life cycle worksheets.

Our worksheets help you explore how crabs grow and live, using activities like research, coloring, and making crafts to make learning exciting. Whether you’re teaching a class about sea life or learning at home, these sheets are a cool way to find out more about these interesting sea animals.

Our life cycle worksheets help you follow the life of a crab through its four main stages, from a little egg to a big crab with a hard shell.

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Each sheet comes with fun activities that ask students to look up information, learn, and get hands-on with the topic. With writing tasks and a crab fact sheet, kids are encouraged to look up facts about crabs using the internet and books.

Life cycle of a crab printable

Get ready for an exciting adventure into the world of crabs with our engaging and free life cycles of animals worksheets! It’s not just the kids who will find joy in these activities; you’re going to appreciate them too, especially since everything you need is likely already at your fingertips.

Perfect for educational fun at home or in the classroom, this printable offers a vibrant way to explore the various stages of a crab’s life, from egg to maturity.

Supplies needed:

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

Crab information worksheet

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:

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Opinion writing

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

Crab research

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?

Younger children will love our crab preschool activities.

4 main stages of a crab worksheet

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

Parts of a crab printable

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

Crab life cycle coloring page

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

We love to add the Life Cycles book to our studies.

Life cycle of a 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.

Crab life cycle 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.

Best crab books for kids

Carry on learning about crabs with our favorite read alouds:

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.

Get the free printable crab life cycle worksheets here!

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.

Need to print later? Add this to your Pinterest board or share it on Facebook. You’ll have it handy whenever you’re ready to use it!

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Last Updated on 8 April 2025 by Clare Brown