Sharks are intriguing ocean animals, especially for kids!
Their eyes light up when they talk about a great white shark’s teeth or a hammerhead’s unique head shape.
This free shark life cycle printable resource is a fun way for kids to learn all about the life cycle of a shark.
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SHARK LIFE CYCLE STAGES
There are four main stages of a shark’s life cycle.
Take some time to talk to your children about the different stages to build prior knowledge, and maybe even sing Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark” song–just be prepared for it to play over and over in your mind for a while!
- Stage 1-Pregnancy: Different shark species carry their baby sharks in one of three different ways before birth. These are:
- Oviparity-Some sharks lay eggs, which are protected inside of an egg case.
- Viviparity-This describes baby sharks that live inside of their mother until they are ready to be born. They are born alive and fully developed. The hammerhead shark’s life cycle begins in this way.
- Ovoviviparity-Most sharks lay eggs that hatch while still inside of their mother’s body! Once fully developed, they are born alive. The great white shark’s life cycle begins in this way.
- Stage 2-Pup: A baby shark is called a pup. Baby sharks have to hunt for their own food. They have to take care of themselves right after birth, because they get very little help from their mother.
- Stage 3-Young: Young sharks grow very slowly. It takes most shark species between 15-20 years to mature and grow into adults.
- Stage 4-Adult: Once a shark matures it’s considered an adult. Scientists believe that most sharks live between 20-30 years.
PRINTABLE SPINNER ACTIVITY DIRECTIONS
This is a fun, free resource to enhance a unit study about sharks or the ocean.
If you’re a teacher or a homeschooling parent, or if you’re simply looking for a low prep, hands-on activity for your preschool or Kindergarten-aged children, this is a great one.
This printable activity is simple yet engaging, and it’ll really ignite a child’s curiosity about these fascinating animals!
- Download and print the SHARK LIFE CYCLE SPINNER CRAFT from the Freebies library. Cardstock is a great printing choice for durability.
- There are four stages in the life cycle of a shark. Introduce your children to these stages, and sing a song or read a story to build prior knowledge.
- Discuss the stages of the shark life cycle, then cut out the spinner craft which is found on the first page of the printable.
- Have the children color, cut, and glue the different stages onto the corresponding numbered section of the spinner.
This activity can be used in so many ways, and it can touch on many early childhood skills. These are just a few!
- One-to-one correspondence-children glue one item at a time to the spinner
- Fine motor development-coloring, cutting, gluing the pieces and spinning the spinner
- Sequencing of the shark life cycle stages
- Identification of numerals 1-4
- Story retelling-have the students use the spinner to tell the “story” of the life cycle
- What comes next? For a fun little “spin,” have your child close their eyes and move the spinner. When they see what stage is visible when they open their eyes, have them tell you the stage that comes before or after that stage. You can even let them quiz you!
You can find this Shark Life Cycle Spinner Craft in the Freebies library. Not a member? Sign up below!