Teaching children about the life cycles of living things is a fundamental part of helping them understand the natural world around them. Life cycles can also help with understanding other areas of natural science including habitats, food chains, seasons, adaptation, and more.
Children might have life cycle misconceptions, and knowing what these are can help avoid misunderstanding. In this blog post, we’ll look at some misconceptions children can have about plant and animal life cycles.
Life cycle misconception 1: A butterfly pupa is a cocoon
I’ve started with this one as I’ve seen it soooo many times (especially given the story of a certain munching caterpillar). A butterfly pupa is called a chrysalis but is sometimes mislabeled as a cocoon.
What’s the difference? A cocoon is a silky structure that some insects make to give extra protection around a pupa. Moths are insects that make cocoons. The butterfly chrysalis does not have this extra silky case around it and it not considered to a cocoon.
This video from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks explains it really well.
Life cycle misconception 2: All plants start their life cycle with a seed
Younger children might assume based on plants that they’re familiar with, that all plant life cycles start with a seed. Whilst plants like sunflowers or beans grow from a seed, this isn’t the case for all plants. Ferns and mosses reproduce via spores (they are called non-flowing plants).
For older children, you could compare and contrast the life cycles of a flowering and non-flowering plant.
Life cycle misconception 3: All plants and animals always complete their full life cycle
Children might believe that all living organisms always complete their full life cycle. In reality, many factors can stop an organism from reaching adulthood. Predation, disease, environmental conditions, and human activities can all affect the survival of plants and animals. For example, many insects may not survive to reach maturity due to predation, pesticides, or habitat destruction. Similarly, plants may fail to mature if they don’t receive adequate light, water, or nutrients.
Life cycle misconception 4: The adult turns back into an egg
This misconception likely arises from a misunderstanding of diagrams showing life cycles. Some children might think that the adult form of an organism turns back into an egg, creating a continuous loop. In reality, life cycles involve the production of offspring, which starts a new cycle. For instance, a butterfly lays eggs, which hatch into caterpillars. The caterpillars then metamorphose into adult butterflies, but the adults don’t revert into eggs. They lay new eggs, beginning the cycle anew.
Life cycle misconception 5: All mammals have the same life cycle stages
Another common misconception is that all mammals go through the same life cycle stages. Most mammals share common stages in their life cycles but there are also lots of exceptions (Australian animals, we’re looking at you)! Marsupials like kangaroos and wallabies have a unique stage where the underdeveloped young continue to grow in the mother’s pouch after birth, which is quite different from the development of other mammals. Monotremes, such as the platypus and echidna, even lay eggs, which is unique among mammals.
Life cycle misconception 6: All insects have the same life cycle stages
Children might also think that all insects share the same life cycle stages. Some insects, like butterflies and beetles, undergo complete metamorphosis, which includes four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Others, like grasshoppers and cockroaches, experience incomplete metamorphosis, where they hatch from eggs into nymphs, which gradually mature into adults without a pupal stage. A good idea for older children is to compare a variety of insect life cycles to see the similarities and differences.
What life cycle misconceptions have you come across? How do you tackle them when teaching? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments for other educators.
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