This Butterfly Life Cycle Craft is the perfect way for kids to learn about butterflies while having hands-on fun!

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Not only will this teach them about how a butterfly grows and ages, but it will also help them create the life cycle process using playdough. Combining learning with actually making is an excellent way for the kids to focus on and learn about a specific topic.

We’re all about various life cycles of animals and plants because they’re pretty interesting to learn about. We try to focus on a different life cycle monthly so that the kids get a good variety of learning experiences.

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Butterfly Facts for Kids

Butterflies Taste With Their Feet: Instead of using a tongue like we do, butterflies have special sensors on their feet to taste the leaves they land on. This helps them find the best plants for their caterpillars to eat!
Their Wings Are See-Through: Even though butterfly wings look colorful, they are made of tiny, precise scales. The colors come from the way light reflects off these scales!
Butterflies Can’t Fly When It’s Cold: Butterflies need the sun to warm their bodies before flapping their wings and taking off. That’s why you often see them basking in the sunlight.

What can kids learn from this butterfly craft?

It’s so much fun to teach the kids about the life cycle of animals and insects. This part of the learning process is often overlooked because we either see the early stages or the later stages and don’t think about what’s in between.

No matter the kids’ age, this fun life cycle activity is the perfect way to teach them all about butterflies. As they get older, they’ll remember these lessons, and this will give them great knowledge about them, too!

If you want more butterfly activities, check my bigger list of Life Cycle of a Butterfly Activities.

Recommended Butterfly Books

Check out all these fun book ideas for kids! They’re a great way to have the kids turn the pages and get deeper into the life of butterflies. If you want them to spend more time reading, these books are a great way to make it happen. They’ll quickly turn the pages and love to read more.

The great thing about books is that you never run out of them. When we have a topic that we’re excited about studying, we like to supplement it with books and read many of them.

Below is a small sample of the type of books that you can easily find. Some books are facts, while others are just fun and cute stories. The kids prefer a mixture of both, so I have no problem with that! The more that they can read, the better!

I often find that a mixture of fiction and nonfiction books is excellent for helping the kids stay focused and reading. When they can sit down and open a book, I know that they’re doing a great job learning.

Books also help to teach kids independent learning, which is essential as they grow.

Little Ant and the Butterfly (Little Ant Books) (Volume 1)Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to the Butterfly Life Cycle and Beautiful Species to Discover My, Oh My–A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)Ultimate Sticker Book: Butterflies: More Than 60 Reusable Full-Color Stickers Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies: Take-Along Guide (Take Along Guides)Waiting for Wings (Rise and Shine)

Butterfly Hunting with Kids: Tips for a Fun and Educational Experience

There are a few things to communicate with the kids before heading out the door and looking for butterflies.

The biggest thing to talk to the kids about is remembering that they are going out to observe. Never have them touch a butterfly or try to catch it, as they will hurt their wings, which will also hurt the butterfly.

If you’re out and about walking in the yard, be sure to look where you’re stepping. There might be butterflies on the ground, and you might not want to step on them.

A good place to check out butterflies is near a garden or flower garden area. They tend to like to be close to those types of environments, so there might be a high probability of seeing one or more.

If you can get a book that has different pictures of butterflies, this can be a great addition to take with you! The more that the kids can have a visual to help them identify the different types of butterflies, the more engaged they’re going to be in the activity.

And when it comes to the types of butterflies in your area, you might not even know what you might find! This is where research is a big deal and comes into play! Keep track of the different types of butterflies that you and the kids can find!

Recommended Butterfly Activity Kits

Butterfly activity kits are such a fun way to bring nature indoors! They let kids explore the beauty of butterflies while keeping things creative and hands-on. These kits make it easy to get into learning and create memorable moments together!

Mini Butterfly Garden Gift Set Two Live Cups of Caterpillars – Life Science & STEM Education UANDME 4pcs Butterfly Life Cycle Kit Lifestyle Stages of Monarch Butterfly Teaching Tools Crayola Paper Butterfly Science Kit, STEAM Toy, Gift for Kids AIZIXIN Pop Bubble Sensory Fidget Toys, Squeeze Sensory Toys, Stress Relief and Anti-Anxiety Tools Wooden toys – Shape Sorting Matching Gear Game – Educational Toddler Toys Skoolzy Butterfly Color Sorting Toys, Counting Toddler Toys

Recommended Life Cycle Activities

Exploring life cycles through printables is such an engaging way to learn. Kids get to see how things grow and change, and it’s always so rewarding to watch their excitement as they piece everything together.

These activities are a simple yet effective way to bring science to life right at home!

Supplies for the Life Cycle of a Butterfly Activity

You’ll need the following supplies to create a life cycle for your butterfly. It’s such a fun activity to do!

Paper plate
Construction paper (green, orange, black)
Play dough (various colors)
Paper
Pencil
Gluestick

How to make this Butterfly science craft?

As you can see per the labeled diagram below, there are 4 phases to the life cycle of a butterfly. These phases are eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly.

The kids will be able to create each of the life cycle stages of the butterfly and talk about them, too.

We had such a blast making this butterfly life cycle craft. The kids were excited when we laid out all the supplies on the table.

We chatted about butterflies’ different stages while cutting, gluing, and shaping little pieces. It wasn’t about being perfect; it was about fun, and the kids proudly showed me their creations. Watching them concentrate so hard while rolling bits of play dough was my highlight.

By the time we finished, the table was a mess (but in the best way), and we had a bright and fun display to show off.

Each of them had their unique take on the craft, and they couldn’t wait to explain their work to everyone. I loved how creative they got with their designs. One even gave their caterpillar a tiny smile! It was an activity where you forget the time and enjoy being together.

How do you make this butterfly activity more engaging

Once the kids go through and make this playdough activity, have them research it as well. They’ll love being able to dig deep and find out more about how butterflies grow and develop. And you might learn a thing or two as well.

I would also recommend heading out the door and seeing if you can find any butterflies in your yard or neighborhood. Now that the weather is warmer and more likable, some beauties might be flapping and flying around your hood.

More Butterfly Activities

These other butterfly activities will be perfect for this life cycle activity. If you’re looking for fun ways to do all things butterfly, add these ideas and activities.

Butterfly Activities for Preschoolers
Easy Butterfly Craft
Butterfly Slime Recipe
Easy Butterfly Sensory Bin
Best Butterfly Books for Kids
Butterfly Books for Kindergarten
Butterfly Life Cycle Coloring Pages
Butterfly STEM Activities
Find the Letter: B is for Butterflies by 3 Boys and a Dog
B is for Butterfly: Letter of the Week Preschool Craft by Crystal and Co.