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Not all minibeasts are insects

Your child knows not every minibeast is an insect. An insect has six legs. A spider has eight, and a worm has none, so they are not insects.

In curriculum terms

Not all minibeasts are insects: distinguishing insects from other minibeasts. Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts (arachnids), woodlice have 14 legs (crustaceans), worms have no legs, snails have a shell and one foot. The 'Is it an insect?' sorting game.

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

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Try this together

If you showed your child a spider and asked whether it's an insect, could they explain why not — for example, that spiders have eight legs, not six?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on
The insect body planages 7–9Must know the insect body plan (6 legs, 3 parts) to distinguish insects from non-insects
Not all minibeasts are insectsthis skill · ages 7–9
Unlocks
Sorting and Identifying Minibeastsages 7–9Must understand insect vs non-insect distinctions before using classification keys
The most successful animals on Earthages 9–11Must understand insect classification to appreciate species diversity
Grouping Living Thingsages 8–9Insect vs non-insect sorting enriches curriculum grouping-by-features

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1). No NSW K–6 outcome code matched (v0.1). No Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code matched (v0.1).

Nearby on the map

All Insects & Minibeasts skills →