Butterflies are colorful, magical insects that enchant the imagination of children and adults alike. Here’s a butterfly-theme craft activity that my daughter enjoyed making, which requires only some simple gluing to create a glittertastic butterfly for display or gifting. (Because you just know that Grandpa has always wanted to have a butterfly on his desk.)
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1. Assemble craft supplies.
Lily used two foam butterflies. We cut hers from foam sheets using a template, because that’s what I had around the house, but you can also buy foam butterflies pre-cut to save time or frustration. I gathered her decorating supplies in a paint palette:
- white glue
- googly eyes
- mini pompoms
- glitter
- sequins
She also needed a pipe cleaner for the butterfly’s antennae.
2. Decorate the butterfly.
Once we had all her supplies assembled, Lily used a Q-tip to spread the white glue around the surface of her butterfly (but paint brushes work great for spreading glue too). Then she added sparkles, sequins, pompoms, and googly eyes to the foam butterfly.
3. Glue the foam butterflies together
Once your preschooler has decorated both foam butterflies to her satisfaction, glue the butterflies together with the pipe cleaner twisted in a V between the butterflies. This gives you a very cool, 3D butterfly. You could add a string to the centre so that the butterfly can hang (and spin) somewhere fun.
4. Put the butterfly somewhere to be admired.
We put our butterfly on Lily’s bookshelf, where she could turn it over to whatever side she felt like admiring each day. Crafts like these make great presents for extended family members as well.
5. Clean up the mess
Once the butterfly sitting somewhere safe so the glue can dry, clean up the mess. This is where my love/hate relationship with crafts kicks in. I love finding activities that keep my kids busy and engaged with something, and I love seeing what they create when I hand them a random collection of craft supplies. However, I also dislike having glitter and glue everywhere.
Sometimes I involve my kids in the cleanup (because they made the mess and their small fingers are better at picking up small pieces). Sometimes I tell them to go play while I get all the glitter under control. Decide what works best for you based on your kids’ personalities and your own capacity for glitter and whining.
Expand the Activity
If you are doing alphabet activities with your preschooler, this butterfly craft would be fun for “B is for Butterfly.” Your preschooler may also enjoy painting wooden butterflies for ornaments, gifts, or decorations indoors or out.
Raising butterflies is also an excellent science experiment to learn more about the life cycle of butterflies. Continue that learning experience by looking up butterfly-friendly flowers to plant in your garden with your child.
If your child enjoyed this craft activity, check out some of the other craft ideas (tried and tested!) for both kids and moms here on my blog.
What sort of crafts does your preschooler like doing?
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