• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Printables Terms of Use
  • Subscribe!
  • Printables
    • Free Printables
    • Circle Time Printable Packets
    • Winter Printable Packs
    • Spring Printable Packets
    • Themed Printable Packets
    • Fine Motor Printable Packets
    • Dramatic Play Printable Packs
    • Literacy and Story Time Printable Packets
    • Color Recognition Printable Packets
    • Preschool Bilingual English Spanish Printables
    • Classroom Organization Printables
    • Fall Printable Packets
  • Preschool
  • Toddlers
  • Lesson Plans
    • Preschool Lesson Plans
    • Toddler Lesson Plans
You are here: Home / Spring Activities / Colorful Toddler Butterfly Art {Free Printable Template}

This post might contain affiliate links. Click here for more information. Thanks for visiting!

Colorful Toddler Butterfly Art {Free Printable Template}

March 31, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper 3 Comments

Share
Pin
Tweet

Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper

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.

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.

Scroll down to find the link to the free printable butterfly template!

toddler butterfly art

More to read: 15+ Butterfly Activities

Colorful Toddler Butterfly Art 

What we used:

  • Washable tempera paint
  • Q-Tips Cotton Swabs
  • Chenille Stems
  • 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.

toddler butterfly art

I provided each child with a small container of assorted paint, a Q-Tip, and a butterfly printable.

toddler butterfly art

The children then painting their butterflies using the Q-Tip.

toddler butterfly art

Once finished, I showed them how to fold their butterfly and press down on the paper, and then open it up again.

toddler butterfly art

We compared our butterflies to Lucy’s big colorful butterfly!

toddler butterfly art

I cut chenille stems in half, one for each child.

I folded that chenille stem and twisted the ends.

The children selected what color chenille stem (antennae) they wanted.

toddler butterfly art

We glued the butterfly printable and the antennae on the butterfly and they were finished!

Click on the box below for the free printable:

free butterfly printable

Check this out: Our classroom set up for the butterfly theme!

preschool weather printables
Bugs and Insects Pacet
tpt garden nursery dramatic play

Bugs and Butterfly Activity Plans

I’m so excited to be one of the authors of these hands-on activities for toddlers and for preschoolers!

Easy to follow plans include activity modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.

Note: This is a digital product. Links to downloads will be sent to you after purchase!

For more information, click on the graphics below:

Toddler Lesson Plans Bugs and Butterflies
preschool lesson plans bugs and butterflies

FREE CIRCLE TIME PLANNER!

Get your FREE circle time planner as a gift when you subscribe to my free weekly newsletters.

Here is my Privacy Policy

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit
Share
Pin
Tweet

Filed Under: Art, Fine Motor, Spring Activities, Toddler Fine Motor, Toddlers Tagged With: art, fine motor, printables, spring, toddlers

About Sheryl Cooper

Sheryl Cooper is the founder of Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, a website full of activities for toddlers and preschoolers. She has been teaching this age group for over 25 years and loves to share her passion with teachers, parents, grandparents, and anyone with young children in their lives.

Previous Post: « 12 of the Best Preschool Gardening Ideas
Next Post: How to Turn a Toddler Frog Craft into a Puppet »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzette Murphy

    April 16, 2018 at 8:07 am

    Where did you get the pretend magnifying glasses with the close up picture of the butterfly?

    Reply
    • Sheryl Cooper

      April 18, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      If I’m understanding correctly, they are actually little slide books that show details of caterpillars and butterflies.

      Reply
  2. Helen

    April 18, 2018 at 6:26 am

    I love this idea, I can add them to our ‘growing window’

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Looking for something specific?

Categories

Welcome! I'm Sheryl Cooper, teacher of 2 and 3 year olds for over 22 years. Read more about me here!

More Printables!

preschool printables

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds is a participant in Amazon Associates.

preschool printables

preschool printables

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds Privacy Policy Web Hosting by Servously