How to Build a Bug House with Kids

Building a Bug House with Kids

Whether you’re looking to give your kids a fun project or just want to teach them more about the environment, building a bug house or an insect hotel can be an enjoyable and educational activity. Not only is it easy to do, but it also provides a safe space for insects to live in. It’s a great idea for an outdoor activity for kids which helps them learn more about food chains and the natural world. You don’t need a large garden, any space will do, you can just adapt your bug house for a small garden or a school outdoor space. It’s one of our favourite creative family activities, any garden activity to get kids off screens is a good one in my book! DIY bug hotels play an important role in creating native animal habitats, it’s good for our kids to learn about how useful insects can be as pollinators. Here’s how you can build one with your kids! The great thing about a bug house is your kids can add to it as they go along, they can keep growing or adapting it as more and more insects join! Making a bug hotel with kids is a great science project – perfect for EYFS or forest school kids activities! Once your bug house is created, try using our nature scavenger hunt ideas to search for bugs!

For more fun nature activities, check out our 100 Nature Craft Ideas for Kids.

Simple bug hotel to build with Kids

Gather Materials

The first step is gathering the different materials needed for the bug house. You’ll need some scrap wood, old roof tiles (such as plywood, pallets, or logs, a pre-made wooden crate works well) that are untreated and free from paint, glue, and other chemicals. You’ll also need some old bricks, tin cans, damp bricks with holes in are perfect to make different sized nooks! You’ll also need some kind of drill and screwdriver for putting the bug house together. You can have fun with kids by collecting the nature items to add hiding holes for the insects. Things like dry leaves, plant materials, dead wood and pine cones work really well!  Finally, make sure that you have some sort of waterproof sealant on hand in case you experience any rain or moisture during construction.

Things you’ll need to collect for your bug house:

• twigs
• moss
• leaves
• corrugated cardboard
• small flower pots
• straw
• toilet paper rolls
• wood chips
• rolled up paper
• pieces of bark
• hollowed out branches, reads, or logs

Easy DIY Bug Hotel for kids to make

Build the Structure
Now it’s time to start building your simple bug house! 

Instructions for building a bug house with kids

Step 1. Start by measuring out the dimensions of your bug house and cutting out four pieces of wood—two long sides and two short sides—to create a box shape. Once you have all four pieces cut out, use the drill and screws to attach them together into a box shape wooden structure. Be sure to leave at least one side open so that bugs can get inside and make sure there are all sorts of different nooks to encourage different bugs. You can also create the box structure using old wooden pallets and then filling them with bricks below. There are lots of different ways to create a bug house. You could also make the bug box structure out of piles of logs – there’s no right or wrong way!

Step 2. Drill small holes along the sides of the box for ventilation as well as larger holes on top of the box where bugs can enter from outside. Make sure that these holes are not too large; tiny holes are better otherwise predators may be able to enter too! Finally, use your waterproof sealant along any seams or cracks in order to ensure that water doesn’t seep in during rainstorms. 

Step 3. Once you’ve built your bug house structure, it’s time to provide some shelter inside for potential inhabitants in your wildlife hotel. Bug houses work best using natural items and plant material to tempt different insects into their own bug hotel. Start by adding broken and old bricks into the structure, it’s a good idea leave gaps between the bricks to add natural items such as dead leaves. You can stuff straw or small twigs in between the holes. Try adding some sticks inside for bugs like bees and ladybirds who prefer soft surfaces like wood over metal or plastic surfaces. You can also add natural materials like leaves or pine needles for ground-dwelling bugs like centipedes and creepy crawlies which prefer hiding under debris instead of on top of it.

Where to store a bug house

Bug houses work well on a flat surface, away from a sunny spot and sheltered from strong winds, the best place is in the darker corners of your outside space. They work great in an undisturbed corner of your garden or your local green space. It can work in a rural area or an urban one! Just make sure you don’t put your bug house too high up that insects can’t reach it!

Bug houses for Kids

Building a bug house with kids is an easy and educational project that will help teach them about nature while giving them something fun to do at home! Get started today by gathering materials such as untreated wood scraps, tools such as drills and screwdrivers, and waterproof sealant if necessary before piecing together your bug house structure. Once complete, fill it up with sticks, leaves, pine needles—whatever provides shelter for bugs—and position it somewhere where there is plenty sunlight available throughout most parts of day! With these simple steps done correctly you’ll soon have a beautiful new home for all sorts of insects living happily within its walls!

Bug House Design Ideas for Kids

Need some ideas for Bug House Designs for kids? Check out our favourite bug house ideas for kids!

If you want to create a bug house for small spaces, try transforming recycled materials into a DIY bug box, perfect for bug-friendly insect observation, fostering both love for nature and eco-conscious creative development. See an example here.

If you’re short on time, then you’ll LOVE this idea for upcycling an old CD crate to make a big hotel! Check out the tutorial here.

One of the simplest ideas for making a bug house, is by using bamboo canes to make this bee house an easy DIY nature project for kids!

More Nature Activities Kids will Love!

If you liked creating bug houses with your kids – you’ll love creating these bird feeders made with natural items! For more fun nature activities, check out our 100 Nature Craft Ideas for Kids.