We decided to make a butterfly craft as part of our unit study of the life cycle of a butterfly. Once again, I was able to find a super cute activity for our little ones to make coffee filter butterflies over at Fireflies & Mud Pies. The finished product gives an aesthetic that feels genuine to the delicate wings of a freshly emerged (and damp) butterfly.

In addition to its simplicity and the encouragement of creativity, while choosing colors and patterns, this DIY allows kids to practice an array of fine motor skills, such as dabbing, scrunching, pinching, etc.

Materials

• Do A Dot Art! Markers
• Coffee Filters
• Pipe Cleaners
• Wooden Clothespins
• Plastic Spray Bottle filled with water
• Tacky Craft Glue (optional)

Instructions          

1. Invite kids to smooth out their coffee filter over a plate, pie pan, old newspaper, etc., as the marker will likely bleed through a little bit from the water bottle spray.
2. Make sure that your kids choose a variety of colors. When they are finished dotting their coffee filter invite them to use the water bottle to spray it.
3. Allow the coffee filter to completely dry before moving on.
4. When the coffee filter is dry, have the kids scrunch the middle of it to make a butterfly shape and secure that with the clothespin.
5. To make antennae for their butterfly, let them choose a pipe cleaner, cut it to size, and shape it into the letter V.
6. Then slide the pipe cleaner into the clothespin as well.
7. Securing the clothespin with a small dot of tacky craft glue is optional. Ours worked out just fine without this step.

Butterflies wings are fascinating. They are soft and fragile with so many different types in a rainbow of colors. Children could be encouraged to dot and dab their markers to make a design or a pattern.

This is another activity that my husband and I made one to go with the kids. Since our Insect Lore Butterfly Garden Kit came with five caterpillars we made a butterfly to represent each one. Additionally, the finished products turned out unique with different colors and variations. We talked about that and how butterflies outside in nature are unique and special as well with different colors and patterns as well as body and wing sizes and shapes. We enjoyed discussing their unique attributes and boring it would be if they were all the same. This conversation transitioned easily into appreciating uniqueness in people.

These little butterflies were so easy to make and turned out really pretty. They could be displayed via fishing line on a bulletin board, or the fridge by placing small magnets on the back of the clothespin. Ours look very nice hanging on our pocket calendar!

We’d love to see your creations as well! If you do this activity with your kiddos please feel free to share a picture of their work in the comments.