Inside: Add some extra fine motor fun with this toddler butterfly art. Download the free printable, paint with Q-Tips, and attach to a clothespin for a fun spring decoration!
As we enter our 7th month with our 2 year olds, they are much more engaged in any activity that we provide.
Especially when it comes to painting.
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They love to paint and often want to create several pieces!
I kept that in mind when I came up with this toddler butterfly art activity.
I wanted butterflies that we could attach to our classroom tree, so I created a butterfly printable that can easily be attached to a clothespin and then clipped to the tree.
But even if you don’t have a classroom tree, these butterflies could clip on other things in your classroom or home.
Oh, and there’s also some good fine motor going on, as we used Q-Tips instead of paint brushes.
Colorful Toddler Butterfly Art with Free Printable
Watch the video here:
What we used:
- Washable tempera paint
- Q-Tips Cotton Swabs
- Pipe cleaners
- Clothespins
- Glue
- Butterfly printable (scroll down to find the link)
Before starting this activity, I read the book Butterfly, Butterfly: A Book of Colors. As Lucy is searching for a butterfly, she comes across many other creatures in her garden. Our children loved telling me what each creature was before we turned the pages. When Lucy finally sees the butterfly, we come to a page that shows a big, beautiful butterfly.
I read this book before we settled down at the art table to make our butterflies, so it was more meaningful to the children.
I provided each child with a small container of assorted paint, a Q-Tip, and a butterfly printable.
The children then painted their butterflies using the Q-Tip.
Once they were finished painting, I showed them how to fold their butterfly and press down on the paper, and then open it again.
We compared our butterflies to Lucy’s big colorful butterfly!
I cut pipe cleaners in half, one for each child.
I folded that pipe cleaner and twisted the ends.
The children selected what color pipe cleaner (antennae) they wanted.
We glued the butterfly printable and the antennae on the butterfly and they were finished!
Come see how our toddler and preschool classroom is set up for the butterfly theme!
Where did you get the pretend magnifying glasses with the close up picture of the butterfly?
If I’m understanding correctly, they are actually little slide books that show details of caterpillars and butterflies.
I love this idea, I can add them to our ‘growing window’