Introduce the life cycle of a butterfly with this cute and simple, colour and stick Butterfly Life Cycle Craft.
We’re finally saying goodbye winter, hello spring, and it has us here at Arty Crafty Kids thinking about the changing seasons and nature’s different life cycles. And what better transformation is there than the humble caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly!
So we’ve designed a lovely little craft to help children learn about the butterfly life cycle in a fun and hands-on way.
About the Butterfly Life Cycle – Use the Craft for Story Telling
Our butterfly life cycle craft is a two in one: children can practice their fine motor skills and express their creativity, whilst also learning all about the life cycle of a butterfly. The finished craft can then be used as a prompt for story-telling or to aid learning, so it’s perfect for the home or the classroom.
The craft is ideal for both preschoolers and children in early years, as it can be used flexibly depending on the child’s age. It’s great for language skills, as a visual aid to help cement understanding and, for older children, as a jumping off point to explore more in-depth learning around each life cycle phase.
How to Make the Butterfly Life Cycle Craft
What you need:
White Cardstock x2
Colored Construction Paper
Arty Crafty Kids to choose their preferred medium for coloring. Consider using paint, crayons or washable marker pens.
Glue Stick
Scissors
Download the Butterfly Life Cycle Template:
The Butterfly Life Cycle templates are available to members of the Arty Crafty Kids club. The template can be accessed via the link below: https://www.artycraftykids.com/product/butterfly-life-cycle-craft/
Not A Member?
Let’s start the Butterfly Life Cycle!
Talk Through the Butterfly Life Cycle
Before the children get stuck into cutting, colouring and sticking, take a moment to talk through the life cycle of a butterfly.
Use the template as a visual aid to help explain to younger children, and if you’re working with older ones, encourage them to describe the cycle to you.
Color in the Butterfly Life Cycle Elements
Colour in each stage of the butterfly life cycle elements: try asking the children to notice how, and why, the colours change throughout the cycle.
Color in the Butterfly
Next, colour in the butterfly itself. The children can keep it simple to frame the life cycle elements, or add patterns if they’d like!
Cut out the Life Cycle Elements
Carefully cut out each of the four butterfly life cycle elements.
Add Backing Paper
Then cut out four more circles, the same size and shape as your life cycle elements, and stick them to the top of each one to create a lifting flap.
Complete Stages 1-4 of the Butterfly Life Cycle
Stick each of the four life cycle elements onto the butterfly in the correct order – we’ve numbered them for you to make it super easy.
Re-tell the Story of the Butterfly!
Now your caterpillar has transformed into a beautiful butterfly, ask the children to re-tell the life cycle of a butterfly, and anything else they might have learned along the way!
More Butterfly Crafts for Kids
We love our butterfly crafts. To expand the life cycle of a butterfly, why not also try these popular butterfly crafts for kids!
Bobble Butterfly Craft for Kids
This Bobble Butterfly craft is so adorable and easy to make with the kids! With the added bounce from the bobble, the butterflies will flutter above the gorgeous spring flowers.
https://www.artycraftykids.com/craft/bobble-butterfly-craft/
Butterfly Collage Art
Collage art is a wonderful medium for kids to explore. The process of breaking one object (in this instance paper) to create a new whole naturally lends itself to encouraging creative thinking and developing problem-solving skills. With the aide of our butterfly template or hand-drawn shape, children will be measuring and calculating how each individual piece with fit into the available space, and of course, with creating a butterfly, there’s the additional challenge of symmetry.
https://www.artycraftykids.com/art/paper-butterfly-collage/
Happy Crafting!
