10 Easy Butterfly Crafts for Kids

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Butterflies were a big hit with my girls when they were little. We had a garden full of flowers and loved watching the butterflies feed, and even finding a chrysalis now and then. These ten butterfly crafts are easy, colorful and use supplies you probably already have.

A little butterfly science

Butterflies go through four stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and adult. Talking about it while you craft turns art time into a mini science lesson. Planting milkweed and nectar flowers is a great way to invite butterflies to your yard.

10 butterfly crafts

1. Coffee filter butterflies

You’ll need: coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle of water, clothespins, pipe cleaners

1. Color a coffee filter all over with markers.
2. Lightly spray with water and watch the colors blend. Let dry.
3. Pinch the middle and clip with a clothespin; add a pipe cleaner for antennae.

2. Symmetry paint butterflies

You’ll need: paper, washable paint

1. Fold paper in half and open it.
2. Dab paint on one side only.
3. Fold, press, and open to reveal a matching butterfly. Cut out the shape when dry.

Tip: A great way to talk about symmetry.

3. Tissue paper suncatchers

You’ll need: contact paper, tissue paper squares, black construction paper

1. Cut a butterfly outline from black paper.
2. Stick it on contact paper, sticky side up.
3. Fill with tissue squares, then seal with a second sheet. Hang in a sunny window.

4. Clothespin butterflies

You’ll need: wooden clothespins, cupcake liners or tissue paper, markers, pipe cleaners

1. Scrunch a cupcake liner in the middle.
2. Clip it in a clothespin for the body.
3. Add pipe cleaner antennae and draw a face.

5. Handprint butterflies

You’ll need: paint, paper

1. Paint both hands.
2. Press them on paper with thumbs overlapping to make wings.
3. Paint a body down the middle.

Tip: A sweet keepsake; add the date.

6. Paper plate butterflies

You’ll need: paper plates, paint or markers, scissors

1. Cut a plate in half and place the halves back to back as wings.
2. Decorate and glue on a paper body.

7. Egg carton caterpillars and butterflies

You’ll need: egg carton, paint, pipe cleaners

1. Cut a row of egg cups for a caterpillar.
2. Paint, add eyes and antennae.
3. Later, make paper wings to “transform” it into a butterfly.

8. Pasta butterflies

You’ll need: bow-tie pasta, washable paint or food coloring, glue, paper

1. Paint bow-tie pasta in bright colors and let dry.
2. Glue them onto paper and draw a garden around them.

9. Beaded pipe cleaner butterflies

You’ll need: pipe cleaners, pony beads

1. Bead two pipe cleaners and twist them into wing loops.
2. Twist a third in the middle for the body and antennae.

Tip: Good fine-motor practice for older preschoolers.

10. Sponge butterfly magnets

You’ll need: craft foam or sponges, magnets, glue, markers

1. Cut butterfly shapes from foam.
2. Decorate and glue a magnet to the back.

Craft-time tips

• Cover the table with newspaper or a cheap plastic tablecloth.
• Set out supplies before calling the kids over.
• Let kids make it their own; it doesn’t have to look like the example.
• Grown-ups handle hot glue, ovens and sharp tools.

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FAQ

What age are these butterfly crafts for?

Most work for ages 3 and up with help. Beaded and cutting crafts are better for ages 5 and up.

How do I attract real butterflies?

Plant nectar flowers like zinnias and lantana, and milkweed for monarch caterpillars.

What are the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle?

Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult butterfly.

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