Printable Butterfly Circle Time Activity Props

Inside: Add these butterfly circle time activity props to your classroom this spring. A fun way to work on color exploration, number recognition, and counting skills!

Toddlers and preschoolers will love these printable butterfly circle time activity props.

The plain butterflies can be used as stick puppets that the children can hold while singing butterfly songs.

The numbered butterflies can be placed on flannel boards and cookie sheets as a fun way to work on math skills while reading butterfly counting books and singing songs.

Make sure to add them to your butterfly theme!

Scroll down towards the bottom of this post to find the link to the free download.

I’ve been having so much fun adding props to our circle times! (You can see our whole collection of props here.)

While I’ve been using puppets and flannel board sets for years, stick puppets are something I started last fall when I was virtual teaching.

I was struggling to find a way to connect with my toddlers and young preschoolers through a screen, so I came up with the idea to create a themed printable that could be turned into something they could hold.

It was such a success that I decided to continue creating stick puppets when we returned to the classroom.

Printable Butterfly Circle Time Activity Props

There are several ways to use these butterfly props at circle time!

Butterfly Stick Puppets

What you will need for the butterfly stick props:

Popsicle sticks or Jumbo Craft Sticks
Laminator
Scotch tape
Printable butterfly prop (scroll down to find the link)

I suggest either printing these on heavy paper or laminating them for extra durability.

Make enough copies so that you have one butterfly stick for each student and yourself.

Preparation:

Cut out the desired amount of butterflies and gather your popsicle or jumbo craft sticks. After cutting them out, tape them to the top of a popsicle stick.

I keep my props in a container in our circle time area.

Once the children are situated, I hand them each a butterfly stick and we use them while singing butterfly songs and reading butterfly books.

Butterfly Color Props

Cut around each butterfly and use on a cookie sheet (shown below), attaching a magnetic piece on the backs.

I created this particular set to go with the song Butterfly Colors Song. As each color is mentioned, I point the matching colored butterfly.

(Note: The cookie sheet shown below is a small size and I spray painted it white.)

You can also use these props on a flannel board. Use the above technique but instead of magnets, attach velcro to the backs of each butterfly.

Numbered Butterflies

Our numbered butterflies, also included in this set, offers several ways to add some math to your circle time.

You use any of the above methods (sticks, magnets and velcro) and invite your children to help you recognize each number while counting.

You can also use these with butterfly counting songs and books. In fact, these numbered props would go great with one of the books we will be reading, Let’s Count Butterflies.

Another idea? Print several copies so that you have multiples of each number. Hand each child a numbered butterfly (make sure you have at least two of the same number) and invite your children to find the friend that has the same number.

You could also place one set of numbered butterflies in the center of your circle time area and then give each child their own numbered butterfly. When each child is called, they take the butterfly they are holding and place it on top of the matching butterfly that is on the floor.