10 easy butterfly crafts for kids

Discover 10 simple butterfly crafts to enjoy with your kids this summer, from collages and paintings to mosaics and masks!

With brightly coloured wings and striking patterns, butterflies are brilliant for inspiring kids' creativity. Before you get stuck into these art projects, why not go for a summer stroll in the woods and look for butterflies fluttering around flowers? Encourage youngsters to notice their shapes, sizes and wing patterns. They could even do a mini butterfly investigation to find out more about them.

These easy crafts are ideal for rainy days when you're stuck indoors. They're suitable for kids of all ages and can be made using items you most likely have at home. Try to use scrap paper and other repurposed materials for your projects, and recycle your finished crafts where possible.

Top 10 butterfly crafts for kids

1. Symmetry butterfly paintings

This classic butterfly art has been a favourite for generations. Simply splodge some paint on one half of a piece of card, then fold it up and press down firmly. Carefully open it up to reveal a beautiful butterfly!

2. Footprint butterfly

If you're looking for an easy craft to do with babies or toddlers, this footprint art is ideal. Start by drawing a butterfly body and antennae on some card. Next, gently apply paint to your child's feet and press them onto the card on either side of the body. (For less mess, do one foot at a time and clean in between.)

Your finished artwork will make a lovely keepsake. Why not make it to celebrate a special milestone such as child's first steps?

3. Bead butterfly

This activity is a great way to use up beads from old necklaces and bracelets. Threading is also excellent for helping kids strengthen hand muscles and develop their fine motors skills.

1. Choose the beads you'd like to use. Get creative with shape, size and colour.
2. Thread some beads onto a pipe cleaner to make your butterfly's body. Twist and trim the ends of the pipe cleaner to stop the beads sliding off.
3. Make wings and antennae by threading more beads onto pieces of pipe cleaner. Bend them into shape, then twist them around the body to fix them together.

Display your creation on a shelf, hang it in a window, or give it to a butterfly-loving friend!

4. Butterfly mosaic art

This mosaic craft is a brilliant creative challenge. Get inspired by a real-life butterfly or use your imagination to invent your own.

1. Find some scrap paper, such as old magazines or junk mail. Collect pages with the colours you need.
2. Tear or snip the pages into small squares. Sort them into piles by colour.
3. Draw a simple butterfly outline on a piece of card and sketch the pattern on the wings.
4. Stick the squares onto your outline. You might need to trim some squares depending on your pattern. You can also create a background, for example a blue sky or a leafy plant.

5. Butterfly collage

This is one of our favourite butterfly crafts because the possibilities are endless. Use recycled materials, scrunched-up tissue paper, or natural items such as pressed flowers and fallen leaves. Stick your items onto card to make a picture and build up a 3D effect.

6. Tissue paper butterflies

These delicate paper insects will look fabulous fluttering in the breeze! To make them, all you need is tissue paper, pipe cleaners and scissors.

1. Cut out a couple of rectangles of tissue paper. Choose different shades of the same colour, or pick contrasting hues for a striking look.
2. Lay the rectangles on top of each other and carefully fold in a concertina style.
3. While still folded, twist a pipe cleaner around the middle to create a body and antennae.
4. Gently open up the butterfly's wings by unfolding the tissue paper and meet your new fluttery friend.

7. Butterfly mask

Transform your child into a colourful butterfly with this DIY mask. This activity is great for kids who love imaginative play and the mask makes a fantastic addition to dressing-up boxes.

You’ll need:

• coloured card
• scissors
• lollipop sticks
• glue
• felt tips or colouring pencils
• string

How to make:

1. Draw a butterfly outline on a piece of coloured card, or print our large peacock butterfly outline. Cut it out.
2. Cut out two eye holes so you child can peer out.
3. Glue a lollipop stick along the centre of the butterfly to make its body. Use more lollipop sticks for the antennae.
4. Now it's time to decorate your mask. You could add big eye shapes like the peacock butterfly, or colour it in purple and white like the purple emperor.
5. Make a hole on either side of the mask and attach some string to fasten it to your child's head.

8. Bubbly butterfly art

This exciting activity will result in lots of huffing, puffing and giggling, and at the end you'll have a brilliant bubbly butterfly.

You'll need:

• card and pencil
• poster paint
• washing-up liquid
• water
• a spoon
• paper straws
• old jam jars

How to make:

1. Draw a simple butterfly shape on a piece of card.
2. Pour a little paint into a jam jar. Add a teaspoon of washing-up liquid and some water, then give it a good stir. Make up three or four different colours.
3. Use a straw to blow into the paint mixture to create lots of bubbles. (Don't suck the liquid up the straw – it won't taste very nice!)
4. Quickly lay your card on top of the bubbles to ‘catch’ them. Can you hear them popping?
5. Carefully lift up the card to see the bubbly effect, then repeat steps three to five to build up the colour on the wings.
6. When your painting is dry, cut out your butterfly and add a body and some antennae. Look around your home for items to use, such as an old wooden peg, lolly sticks, buttons or beads.

9. Toilet roll butterfly

This simple craft is a good way to reuse loo roll tubes before recycling them. You could even make a whole bunch of colourful insects including ladybirds, bees and beetles!

You’ll need:

• toilet roll tube
• coloured card
• scissors
• glue
• felt tips or paint

How to make:

1. Paint an empty toilet roll tube or cover it in coloured card.
2. Draw butterfly wings and antennae on some card, then cut them out. You can leave the wings plain or create a pretty pattern.
3. Glue the wings onto the tube and stick the antennae on the top.
4. Add a friendly face using paint or felt tips.

When you've finished, display your creatures, play with them or give them to your friends.

10. Butterfly wall hanging

Make your home look like a butterfly sanctuary with this beautiful decoration.

You'll need:

• a stick
• string
• coloured card
• scissors
• colouring pencils
• sticky tape

How to make:

1. Create a hanging loop by tying the ends of a piece of string to your stick.
2. Cut some butterfly shapes out of coloured card. You can draw your own or print our small peacock butterfly outlines.
3. Decorate the butterflies, or leave them plain if you prefer.
4. Cut a few pieces of string in different lengths and tie them to the stick. Attach your butterflies to the string with a small piece of tape on the back of each one.
5. Display your wall hanging where you can enjoy looking at it. It will look wonderful near a window with the butterflies fluttering in the breeze!

Enjoy more family activities together

Do your kids love nature crafts? You can get heaps more inspiration with Woodland Trust family membership.

When you join, you'll receive activity packs every season, stuffed to the brim with outdoor adventures, wildlife spotting, arts and crafts, recipes and puzzles.

It's ideal for families who love wildlife. Plus, as members, you'll help us plant trees and protect woods, creating a healthier planet for future generations.