Exploring Worm Behavior: Hands-On Science for Kids

A Fun Way to Observe Worms in Action

My students are fascinated with worms! They love digging in the dirt, searching for them, and excitedly calling me over whenever they find one. Often, before I can look, the worms disappear, sending students back to more digging. These moments of curiosity are the perfect time to engage students in hands-on, acvitives for exploring worm behavior.

If you love hands-on science but want to save time with ready-to-use lesson plans, step-by-step instructions, and multiple recording pages, check out my Worm Behavior Science Experiments resource on TPT!

Exploring Worm Behavior and Why Worms Matter

Before we dig into the worm behavior activities, let’s take a minute to understand why worms are so important. Worms help keep our soil healthy. They eat dead plants, make tunnels that let air into the soil, and create nutrients that help plants grow. Young children are naturally curious about these wiggly creatures they find in gardens and playgrounds. Watching worms is not only fun but teaches children early lessons about how living things help our environment.

Finding Your Worms

To find worms for these observations, dig in shady, moist areas of your garden or look under rocks and logs. Collect at least one worm per student or small group to be sure everyone gets a chance to observe. Place worms in a container of damp soil.

If you dig in the soil, but don’t find worms, here are a few suggestions for gathering worms:

• Check after a rain for worms that have come to the surface. Be sure to look before the sun comes out and dries up the worms.
• Place a damp piece of cardboard on the soil overnight. Worms love cardboard, and by morning, you may find several hiding underneath.
• Purchase worms from a bait shop.
• Ask around to find someone who has a worm composting bin to donate worms to your class. Most people who vermicompost will have several thousand worms and would gladly share a few with you.

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Safety Concerns

Now that we have found worms for our investigations, it’s important to discuss how to handle them safely and ethically.

• Teach children to handle worms gently.
• Make hand washing mandatory after worm activities.
• Plan to return outdoor worms to their natural habitat.
• Never release purchased worms into the wild (they may not be native)

With safety in mind, let’s move on to the fun part—the worm behavior activities!

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Exploring Worm Behavior: Two Engaging Observations

Get your students excited about worms with these two simple activities. Both are great introductions to a larger unit on animal habitats!

If you’d like ready-to-use lesson plans, real experiment photos, and multiple recording pages, grab my Worm Behavior Science Experiments resource to save time!

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Exploring Worm Behavior Activity #1: Do Worms Prefer Dry or Damp Habitats?

Objective: Students will observe whether worms prefer damp or dry environments.

Materials:

• Foil container with paper lid (I found 3-pack 4”x6” containers at a dollar store.)
• Permanent Marker
• Paper towel
• Spray bottle with water
• Observation sheet (available in my store)
• 1-5 worms per person or group

Getting Started: Ask students what they know about worms. If your students have encountered worms outside, ask them where they found them. Explain that they will observe worm behavior to see if worms prefer a damp or dry habitat. Pass around a worm in a clear container for students to observe.

Setting Up the Observation:

1. With a permanent marker, draw a line down the center of the foil container.
2. Place a damp paper towel on one side.
3. Put a dry paper towel on the other side.
4. Carefully, add the worms to the container by placing them on the marker line.
5. Put the cover on the container.

Observing and Recording:

1. Check the worms after 10 minutes.
2. Note which side the worms prefer and record the data on your observation page. For younger children, simply observe and discuss.
3. If desired, check and record observations after another 5-10 minutes.

Sharing the Observations:

1. Discuss which side the worms preferred: damp or dry.
2. Ask students why they think the worms moved to the damp or dry side.
3. Discuss what we can learn about where worms like to live.

Science Connection: Worms prefer damp environments because they breathe through their skin, which must stay moist.

Exploring Worm Behavior Activity #2: Do Worms Prefer Dark or Light Habitats?

Objective: Students will observe whether worms prefer dark or light habitats.

Materials:

• Foil containers with paper lids
• Permanent Marker
• Observation sheet (make your own or purchase HERE)
• 1-5 worms per group
• Flashlight or small lamp (optional)

Getting Started: Review the findings from the first observation, emphasizing that worms prefer damp environments because they need wet skin for breathing. Explain that now they will test whether worms prefer dark or light habitats.

Setting Up the Observation:

1. With a permanent marker, draw a line down the center of the foil container.
2. Place the worms on the line.
3. Cut the cardboard lid in half and cover one side of the container. Or fold 1/3 of the cardboard lid back. If desired, shine a flashlight or lamp on the open side to create a light source.

Observing and Recording:

1. After 10 minutes, check which side of the container the worm prefers.
2. Note which side the worm is on and record the data. For younger children, observe and discuss without formal recording.
3. If students are engaged, leave the worm for another 10 minutes and compare the numbers with the first observation.

Science Connection: Worms prefer dark environments because they protect them from drying out and from predators. Their bodies are sensitive to light even though they don’t have eyes!

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Adapting the Observations for Different Age Group

Need adaptable materials for different age groups? My Worm Behavior Science Experiments resource includes multiple versions of recording pages to make observation and data collection easy for all learners.

Age Group	Approach	Recording Method
2-Year-Olds	Simple observation only	Point to where worms are
3-Year-Olds	Basic counting	Group discussion, no formal recording
4-Year-Olds	Basic recording	Simple picture-based sheets
Kindergarten +	Detailed observation	Written recording sheets

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Now that you’ve observed worms, you might be ready to dive into the world of isopods. Read this post about roly poly experiments: Easy Roly Poly Experiments for Young Learners. These observations use the same foil food containers as this activity!

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STEM Skills & Lesson Objectives

Subject	Skill
Science	Observing worm behavior to see if they prefer wet or dry habitats and whether they like dark or light habitats.
Technology
Engineering	Building a container to conduct the observations.
Math	Counting worms, timing the experiment and comparing results with other students.
Additional Skills	Asking questions, recording observations, and designing additional experiments.

Preview

Share Your Results!

These worm behavior observations are a fun and easy way for children to learn about habitats and animal behavior. If you try these activities, I would love to hear about your experiences! Want to make your worm investigations even easier? Grab my Worm Behavior Science Experiments resource on TPT for ready-to-use lesson plans, step-by-step instructions, and printable observation sheets!

While you’re outside gathering worms, why not take your children on a nature scavenger hunt? You can get four hunts in our resource library. Join our free community here to access the resource library, get emails about new blogs, and more.