Printable Grasshopper Mask

printable grasshopper mask for kids

Spring-loaded legs, a song in its knees and a starring role in one of Aesop's most famous fables - our printable grasshopper mask is a minibeasts classic! Whether it's for the Ant and the Grasshopper school play, a summer bugs project, a World Book Day costume, a birthday party, or bounding imaginative play across the garden, this mask is a leap in the right direction.

The grasshopper is one of those insects children find genuinely exciting to encounter in real life - this mask brings that same thrill to any indoor activity, and the Aesop connection makes it a natural World Book Day choice. Every mask comes with a full colour version AND a black and white line art version for colouring in.

5 Interesting Facts About Grasshoppers!

  • Grasshoppers have ears on their abdomens - a pair of eardrums called tympanic organs are located on either side of the first segment of their belly, not on their heads.
  • They can jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap - the equivalent of a human jumping the length of a football pitch from a standing start.
  • Grasshoppers produce their chirping song by rubbing a row of pegs on their hind legs against the edge of their forewings - a process called stridulation, the same as crickets.
  • Under normal conditions grasshoppers are solitary, but when food becomes scarce and populations increase, they can transform into locusts - changing colour, behaviour and forming swarms of billions that can strip entire landscapes bare.
  • Grasshoppers have been eaten by humans for thousands of years and are still a popular food in many countries - they're an excellent source of protein, requiring far less land and water to produce than conventional meat.