Butterfly Crafts for Kids

A few years ago I did a post about learning activities related to butterflies, but it didn’t include butterfly crafts, so let’s take a look at some fun butterfly crafts to do alongside your butterfly unit study or for summer.

A yarn butterfly is a classic craft, and kids can make it their own by using different colors of yarn, pipe cleaners, beads, etc. Get the instructions from The Craft Train. They’ve also got a fun idea of making butterfly prints using a sponge — so pretty!

Using a sponge to make a print is sort of like doing a mirror painting, and you can do that directly on the paper with this craft idea from What A Mom Needs, which turns the symmetrically painted butterfly into a wand. A free butterfly template is included in the post.

Another take on yarn and butterflies are these yarn wrapped butterflies from School Time Snippets. This is a great upcycling project and a way to use a bit of your yarn stash at the same time.

Suncatchers are another classic craft for summer or any time of year, and this butterfly shaped suncatcher from Jasmine Ansah is a great one for kids to try. She uses a butterfly printed on regular paper as the template but you could also cut out a butterfly shape in sticky backed paper to make it more translucent if you like. Or you can make it with a plastic sheet protector like this version from The Craft at Home Family.

Make a pretty flapping butterfly craft with the template and instructions from Moms and Crafters. There’s a little bit of engineering involved with this one, so little kids might need some help, but it’s worth the work because it’s so cute in the end.

These cardboard tube butterflies from The Best Ideas for Kids are super cute and you might already have everything you need to make them. If you don’t have colored cardstock kids could also color or paint paper to make the wings.

I Heart Crafty Things has so many cute butterfly crafts I couldn’t decide which one to share, so be sure to check out their neon butterflies made with liquid watercolors and neon glitter, as well as the versions made with watercolor and black glue and painting on newspaper.

Butterfly Bead Bookmark for Kids

Butterfly Life Cycle Sensory Jars

Printable Butterfly Identification Cards

Butterfly Suncatchers

Last month I shared some tips for teaching the alphabet to kids and why going in alphabetical order isn’t the best way to do it. Honestly a lot of learning at this age has to do with play, so let’s look at some fun alphabet activities that kids can do that will help them learn the alphabet.

Activities that get kids moving and learning at the same time are ideal for preschool, and Forward with Fun has a few great ideas, like this fly swatter letter recognition game (which you could also use for numbers, words, all sorts of things you’re learning) and a beginning sound stomping game.

Another fun alphabet game you can do at home or adapt for wherever you are is this printable alphabet scavenger hunt from Play Party Plan. They’ve got a list of items to find and also a blank printable you can write your own list on, or let kids write down what they find for each letter.

Or do a literal letter scavenger hunt like this one from Happily Ever Mom. This one uses the letters from an alphabet puzzle but you could also use magnet letters or just cut out shapes of letters. It also adds the fun of doing it in the dark and hunting with a flashlight, but you can also do it with the lights on if you want.

This alphabet sensory bottle from Parenting Chaos is made with a set of alphabet beads and would be fun to keep in the classroom or have in the car or for quiet times.

Use what you have to make an alphabet learning activity, like this one made with Duplo blocks from Playtivities. You can stick letters to the sides of blocks (or write them on) and just play with them, use them for letter recognition and talking about sounds, and eventually spelling and reading, too.

Turn letter learning into craft time by making a big letter out of a bunch of little letters with this activity from Meaningful Mama. If you don’t get magazines anymore check with your local Buy Nothing group, or your local library may have some they’re looking to get rid of.

I think most preschoolers love dot markers, so these free alphabet dot marker worksheets from Daydream into Reality would be a great thing to download and print out. This is a great set because it includes uppercase and lowercase letters, and some have letter tracing practice while others include something that starts with that letter that kids can color. Work with one letter at a time or the letters in the child’s name and then provide the whole set as a quiet time activity.

Another great set of alphabet worksheets that isn’t free (and would also be good for older kids) is this set from My Nerdy Teacher. These worksheets include letter tracing and recognition activities, as well as objects to color.

I also love these alphabet roads printables from Messy Little Monster, which kids can use with cars to trace the letters (they could also be playdough mats you use to form the letters in the shape shown, or trace with a dry erase marker).

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