Butterfly Bead Bookmark for Kids – A Sweet Handmade Gift Craft for Mothers Day, Teachers, and Classrooms

The Butterfly Bead Bookmark is one of those older-style kids’ crafts that still has plenty of charm, especially if you are looking for something a little more giftable than the usual paper-and-glue project. It uses assorted beads, wire, a sequin, and craft glue to create a butterfly shape that sits on a bookmark stem, and the original project suggests it as a lovely teacher or Mother’s Day gift.

What I like about this craft is that it gives kids something that feels a bit more special and grown-up. It is not just a quick colouring sheet that ends up on the fridge for two days. This is the kind of little handmade project a child can proudly make for Mum, Grandma, or a favourite teacher, and it actually feels like a keepsake. If you are working with children who love beads and enjoy making “real” gifts, this one has a lot of appeal.

That said, I would not call this the easiest craft on the planet for very young children. The butterfly is made by threading beads onto wire and twisting the loops into wings, so it is definitely better suited to older kids, crafty tweens, or younger children with one-on-one help. Even the comments on the original post are a bit mixed, which honestly I find helpful. Some readers said their six-year-olds managed it and loved it, while others felt the directions were a little tricky or that the project was better for older children. That tells me this is a good supervised craft rather than a total hands-off classroom activity.

For teachers, homeschoolers, or group leaders, I think this would work best with a small group where you can demonstrate the wing-shaping step properly. It has that “quiet table craft” feel to it rather than messy craft chaos, and it would fit nicely into a spring craft theme, a Mother’s Day handmade gift session, or even a reading-themed activity because the finished piece is actually useful. Kids do tend to get extra excited when they are making something they can gift or keep in a book afterwards.

I also like that it has room for creativity. Because it uses assorted beads, kids can play with colour combinations and make their butterfly bright and cheerful or a bit more pastel and delicate. Those little choices always make a craft feel more personal, and that matters when you are trying to keep little people engaged.

Michaelmas is one of those holidays that is religious in nature but also has a more secular meaning, especially in England.

Michaelmas is variously known as the Feast Day of saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael or the Feast of the Archangels, and it is generally celebrated on September 29 (or November 8 in Eastern Christian calendars). In England it also marks the end of a quarter both financially and academically (if you’ve ever read a book that talks about Michaelmas term, this is what it’s talking about) and historically the end of the farming year, when accounts would be settled.

In a religious context it celebrates Michael’s defeat of Satan, which also involves slaying, or a least controlling, a dragon, but it’s also a day to mark the progression of the year into fall because it falls near the equinox.

Waldorf educational communities celebrate Michaelmas because Rudolf Steiner believed it was the second most important festival of the year after Easter. They may have a play or a field day celebrating feats of strength and overcoming fears. Season to Gather has a guide available for purchase that includes the story of St. Michael and the dragon, crafts and activities, recipes and more with a Waldorf approach.

I also found this publication from a Waldorf school that has lots of ideas for celebrating Michaelmas with groups of kids, doing things like obstacle courses, rope tugs and races. The booklet also includes songs and recipes to try.

Because they both have to do with saints and dragons, you can pull out your St. George’s Day activities for Michealmas, too, but here are a few more ideas specific to Michaelmas. I’d love to hear about your traditions if this is a holiday you celebrate.

Faith and Fabric has a cute St. Micheal softie project kids or adults can make.

Catholic Icing has a printable pack for purchase that includes stand up figures of the angels in color and black and white as well as coloring pages and the St. Michael prayer printable. She also has a printable party pack with a banner and angels you can use as cupcake toppers.

There are a lot of traditional foods that are involved in a Michaelmas celebration including bannock (a Scottish harvest bread), blackberries and goose (though many people sub chicken or Cornish game hens these days). You can also throw in angel food cake, or devil’s food cake, deviled eggs or spicy foods to celebrate overcoming the devil.

Another traditional activity at Michaelmas is hitting a pinata that is shaped either like Satan or a dragon. You can see this in action and get more details about how one family celebrates Michaelmas at Catholic All Year.

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