Easy Butterfly Recycled Paper Craft for Young Kids
Recycled Paper Butterfly
Here’s a fun way for toddlers, preschoolers, and all young kids to make some cute recycled paper crafts! Recycled paper is a great way to introduce the idea of reusing and recycling to young children. Paper is something they see often and can have an easy time understanding.
The first thing to do is gather your craft supplies. We used recycled paper like this, extra craft paper scraps, dot markers, pipe cleaners, and scissors.
Easy Butterfly Craft: Step-by-Step Instructions
This fun project is easy enough for toddlers, but still a hit with older children as well. This is also a great way to include fine motor skills with a butterfly craft!
1. Decorate the Paper
First, let your child decorate their recycled paper with the dot markers. You can use specific colors or have them use all the colors they want!
2. Cut Out Butterfly Shape
Once the paper has dried, hold the paper in half. Next, cut out a butterfly shape with the fold being the middle of the butterfly’s body.
3. Add the Body and Antenna
Then, cut out a long body shape from any extra scrap of paper you have. Your child can then glue the body onto their butterfly.
Lastly, the bend a pipe cleaner into a V shape and cut off the extra long ends to make antenna. Then, your child can glue this on as well.
Practice with Scissors
If your child is old enough, they can help use the scissors to cut out the butterfly shape and the body of the butterfly. Draw them an outline to follow as they cut. For all our tips to help your child with scissors, check out our guide here.
Perfect for Earth Day!
This is a great way to make a recycled craft on Earth Day! You can even buy paper with wildflower seeds in it and ‘release’ your butterflies outside. Your child will have a blast flying with their butterflies.
Then, after you’ve had the craft hung awhile or you child is done playing with it, you can pour or spray the craft with water. The soaked paper can be put right into the ground to grow! Just remember to remove the pipe cleaners.
Another Fun Butterfly Craft
Looking for more fun ways to make butterfly crafts with young children? Here’s another great way to make your own cute butterflies!
Earth Day Seed Activity
If you’re looking for an engaging Earth Day activity for young children, try our favorite seed growing activity! This is a great way to involve little ones in Earth Day or springtime plant activities.