Praying Mantis Life Cycle for Kids + Free Lapbook

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A praying mantis begins life inside a protective egg case, hatches as a tiny nymph, and becomes an adult after shedding its outer covering several times.

Children can explore the praying mantis life cycle with the free printable lapbook available at the bottom of this post.

The eight-page printable includes a growth diagram, sequencing activities, traceable stage names, vocabulary cards, and pieces for building a file-folder lapbook.

Check out our entire collection of Educational printables here.

Praying Mantis Life Cycle for Kids (Free Printable Lapbook)

This is a hands-on resource for an insect unit, a spring nature study, a homeschool science lesson, an elementary classroom center, or an introduction to entomology.

Before assembling the lapbook, it helps to understand one important science fact: praying mantids have three biological stages—egg, nymph, and adult.

The printable shows an earlier and an older immature mantis as two separate pictures, so children can see how much it changes as it grows, but both pictures belong to the same developmental stage.

The Cycle of a Praying Mantis at a Glance

The development follows this sequence:

Egg case → young mantis → adult praying mantis → new egg mass

These insects undergo incomplete metamorphosis. This means there is no larval or pupal stage. A newly hatched mantis resembles a small, wingless adult and gradually develops through a series of growth periods.

In many temperate species, the female produces a protective case in late summer or fall. The developing young remain sheltered during the colder months and may hatch when conditions become favorable.

Timing varies with species, climate, and local weather, so not every mantis follows the same seasonal calendar.

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What Is Included in the Free Praying Mantis Lapbook?

This printable pack contains eight US-letter pages designed to be cut, colored, folded, and attached to a file folder. The set includes:

• A cover titled “My Praying Mantis Life Cycle Lapbook”
• A large mantis picture to color
• A circular development illustration
• A four-part accordion booklet about mantis growth
• Picture and word pieces for matching or sequencing
• A four-box ordering activity
• Traceable pages for egg, nymph, young mantis, and adult
• A blank growth diagram
• A printable vocabulary pocket
• Vocabulary cards for prey, exoskeleton, hatch, and abdomen

Children can complete the whole lapbook at once or work on one section each day. The smaller pieces also work independently as science notebook additions, vocabulary cards, or center activities.

Supplies Needed:

Gather these simple supplies before beginning:

• The printed praying mantis lapbook PDF (Download at the bottom of this post)
• One file folder
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Pencil
• Cardstock, optional
• Laminator, optional

Regular printer paper is suitable when the finished pieces will be glued into a folder. Cardstock makes the cover, circular diagram, and vocabulary cards more durable.

Adult help may be needed when preschoolers or younger kindergarten students cut the curved pieces and fold booklets.

How to Make the Praying Mantis Lapbook

1. Prepare the File Folder

Open a file folder and place it flat with the inside facing up. Fold both outer sides toward the center so they meet like two doors. Press along the folds firmly.

When the folder is closed, attach the title, mantis illustration, and circular diagram to the front. Children can color the picture before gluing it down.

2. Assemble the Accordion Book

Cut out the long growth strip and fold it back and forth along the dividing lines. Review each picture before placing the booklet inside the lapbook.

The printable uses four pictures to make the growth process visible. Explain that the middle two pictures represent an early and later immature form. Scientifically, they are different points within the same stage rather than two separate stages.

3. Complete the Sequencing Activity

Cut apart the stage pictures and ask children to place them in order. A scientifically accurate four-picture sequence is:

1. Praying mantis egg case
2. Newly hatched young mantis
3. Growing mantis, or later instar
4. Adult praying mantis

Let children check the sequence against the completed illustration before gluing the pieces into the four boxes.

4. Make the Tracing Flapbook

Cut out the tracing pages and assemble them as a small book. Children can trace the stage words, color the pictures, and tell what happens in each picture.

For stronger science vocabulary, describe the “young” picture as a growing, immature mantis or later instar.

5. Fill In the Blank Growth Diagram

Use the blank circular diagram as a review. Children can draw or paste the stages in the correct spaces and add arrows to show that an adult female produces the next egg case.

If your child enjoys sequencing activities, compare this mantis diagram with the life-cycle-of-a-butterfly cut-and-paste worksheet. The comparison makes the difference between incomplete and complete metamorphosis much easier to see.

6. Build the Vocabulary Pocket

Fold and glue the pocket inside the lapbook, then place the vocabulary cards inside. Review one word at a time and invite children to use it in a sentence.

You can also add homemade cards for these useful terms:

• Ootheca: the protective case that holds mantis eggs
• Nymph: an immature mantis that resembles a small adult
• Instar: one period of growth between two shedding events
• Molt: to shed an old outer covering as the body grows
• Metamorphosis: the developmental changes an animal experiences as it matures

The Three Stages of a Praying Mantis

Stage 1: Egg and Protective Case

The development of a praying mantis begins when a female lays a protective egg mass. The material begins as a froth and then hardens around the developing young. It helps protect them from drying, physical damage, and changing weather.

The hardened case may be attached to a twig, stem, vegetation, tree bark, fence, wall, or another firm surface. Its size, shape, and color vary among species. One can contain many eggs, so a large group of young mantises may emerge from a single case.

In places with cold winters, this early stage commonly lasts through winter. In warmer areas or among tropical species, development and emergence schedules may be different.

Question to ask: Why would a hard protective covering be useful to a developing insect?

Stage 2: Nymph and Instars

The insect that emerges is a nymph. It has the familiar triangular head, long body, and grasping front legs of an adult, but it is smaller and does not yet have fully developed wings.

Unlike a caterpillar, it does not pass through a pupa. It hunts live prey and grows independently after hatching. As its body becomes larger, its rigid outer covering cannot stretch enough, so it must shed it.

The period between one shedding and the next is called an instar. After each one, the mantis enters another growth period and appears more mature.

The number of instars varies by species and can also differ between males and females. Many familiar mantises shed their outer covering several times before reaching adulthood.

Just after this process, the new covering is soft. The mantis must remain relatively still while it expands and begins to harden. This is a vulnerable time in its development.

Question to ask: How is a newly hatched mantis similar to and different from an adult?

Stage 3: Adult Praying Mantis

After its final shedding, the mantis reaches the adult stage. Adults can mate and reproduce, and many species have developed wings. However, wing length and flying ability vary by species and sex, so it is best not to assume that every adult can fly well.

A mantis is a predatory animal that uses its powerful front legs to grasp insects and other small prey. The specialized foreleg is lined with spines that help it hold struggling food. The familiar front legs held in a folded, prayer-like position are also the source of its common name.

Mantises are ambush predators, often remaining still until food comes within reach. This hunting strategy helps them better snare their prey. Depending on their size, they may capture a moth, cricket, grasshopper, spider, or other small animal. Larger species have even been observed taking small vertebrates, such as frogs or lizards.

Later, a mature female forms another protective case, and the cycle begins again.

In temperate regions, adults of many species die when cold weather arrives while the next generation remains protected. In other climates, seasonal timing can differ.

Question to ask: Why is the adult stage necessary for the next generation to begin?

 

Incomplete Metamorphosis vs. Complete Metamorphosis

Praying mantises and butterflies are both insects, but their development is different.

Praying Mantis Life Cycle

• Undergoes incomplete metamorphosis
• Has three stages: egg, nymph, and adult
• A nymph resembles a smaller adult praying mantis
• Does not have a pupal stage

Butterfly Life Cycle

• Undergoes complete metamorphosis
• Has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult
• The larva, called a caterpillar, looks very different from an adult butterfly
• Has a chrysalis, or pupal stage

This makes a useful sorting or discussion activity. Ask children to identify which animal changes more dramatically and which young insect most closely resembles its adult form.

For more opportunities to compare living things as they grow, explore these free life cycle printable worksheets. You can also pair an insect study with the pumpkin life cycle worksheets or strawberry life cycle printable to compare animal and plant development.

Learning Skills Practiced With This Printable

The lapbook combines science content with early learning practice.

Stage Sequencing

Children arrange events in chronological order and use arrows to show how the stages repeat with each new generation.

Science Vocabulary

Words such as instar, exoskeleton, prey, and adult help children describe what they observe more precisely.

Fine Motor Skills

Coloring, tracing, cutting, folding, and gluing strengthen hand control and coordination.

Oral Language and Retelling

After completing the lapbook, invite children to use it as they explain the process in their own words. A simple prompt is: “First the mantis is…, next…, and finally….”

Observation and Scientific Thinking

Ask children to compare pictures, predict what happens next, and explain the purpose of a protective case or shedding process. Older students can record observations using the free scientific method worksheet.

Ways to Use the Praying Mantis Printable

Create a Science Center

Place the picture cards, blank diagram, and vocabulary cards in a tray. Laminate the pieces and use removable hook-and-loop dots if you want children to repeat the activity.

Add It to a Nature Study

Look for mantises or their protective cases outdoors without removing them from their habitat. Mantises protect themselves by camouflage, so children may need to look closely among leaves and stems. Take a photograph, record the date and location, and observe the site again later. Avoid bringing an egg case indoors because eggs may hatch unexpectedly when warmed.

Compare Insect Development

Place the mantis sequence beside a butterfly sequence. Have children sort terms such as nymph, larva, and pupa under the correct animal.

Make an Instar Growth Line

Draw several young mantises from smallest to largest. Explain that each picture can represent a later instar after the insect sheds its outer covering. This reinforces the fact that “young mantis” is not a separate biological stage.

Use the Cards for Memory Games

Print two copies of selected picture or vocabulary cards. Turn them face down and match identical pairs, or match a word with its meaning.

Find more low-prep learning resources in the kids printables collection.

Recommended Ages and Grade Levels

The praying mantis lapbook is best suited to:

• Kindergarten with adult cutting support
• First grade
• Second grade
• Third grade
• Homeschool nature study
• Elementary insect or growth units

Preschoolers can color the pictures and order three large stage images with help. Older elementary students can research a local species, such as the Chinese mantis, label features such as its abdomen, two large compound eyes, and simple eyes, or compare its number of instars with another insect.

Students can also discuss how the triangular shape of the head allows a mantis to turn and scan its surroundings. A mantis can rotate its head widely—often described as up to about 180°—which helps this predator locate food and watch for danger.

More Life Cycle Activities to Explore

If your kids enjoyed learning about the praying mantis life cycle, here are more hands-on science resources to help them explore how plants and animals grow and change.

• Butterfly Life Cycle Cut and Paste – A hands-on sequencing activity that helps kids learn the stages of a butterfly’s development.
• Free Life Cycle Printable Worksheets – A collection of educational worksheets for exploring different life cycles in a simple and engaging way.
• Pumpkin Life Cycle – A helpful resource for discovering how a pumpkin grows from a seed into a mature plant.
• Strawberry Life Cycle – A fun way for kids to follow the stages of growth from a tiny seed to a fruit-producing strawberry plant.
• Scientific Method Worksheet – An easy-to-use worksheet that introduces kids to the basic steps scientists use to ask questions, investigate, and draw conclusions.

Download the Free Praying Mantis Lapbook

This printable turns mantis development into a hands-on science lesson children can color, sequence, trace, discuss, and display. Use the completed lapbook to review the three biological stages and introduce terms such as instar, exoskeleton, prey, and protective egg case.

The activity can also lead to discussions about beneficial insects. Mantises consume many small animals, including some harmful insects and garden pests, although they are generalist predators and may also capture helpful species.

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