Tissue Paper Butterfly Craft

The sun is shining, thermometers are climbing – and that can only mean one thing… spring is on its way!  This spring-themed butterfly craft can easily be modified for preschoolers to second graders and is a perfect compliment to our popular bugs and butterflies math and literacy unit.

If you’re doing these for a classroom, these beautiful butterflies would also look gorgeous as a hallway display to welcome spring into the school! 

Getting Ready

Before asking my daughter to join me to make this butterfly craft, I gathered my supplies:

• • Various colors of tissue papers cut into 2 inch squares
  • 12″ x 18″ black construction paper
  • 12″ x 18″ white construction paper
  • A pencil (a white crayon would work well too)
  • Scissors
  • White glue
  • Watercolor paintbrush (or any soft brush)

I folded the black construction paper in half and then used my pencil to draw one half of a butterfly. Keeping the paper folded, I cut it out to make a butterfly frame. (Older kids could do this step on their own.)

I placed the tissue paper squares on a tray and poured a glob of white glue into a bowl. I watered the glue down to a 2:1 glue to water ratio so that it would spread easily.

Making the Butterfly Craft

Since we had been talking about spring and the life cycle of a butterfly, I told my daughter that we were going to  create a butterfly craft.

Starting in the center of her white paper, my daughter used her paintbrush to spread out a large area of glue. She chose a piece of tissue paper and stuck it on top. Then, she used soft, downward strokes to glue on top of the tissue paper to press it down.

My daughter eagerly picked out her next square and overlapped it on top of the first one. Overlapping made the colors blend through the tissue paper and ensured that no white would show through.

I love collages because anything goes. It doesn’t have to be precise.   This butterfly craft was the perfect lesson in not having to strive for perfection.

Once my daughter got the hang of it and could visualize how much glue to put on, the process went fast. When she was finished, I spread glue onto the black frame and pasted it on her collage.

When the glue dried, I cut it out. She loved the colors she chose and was eager to hang it up.

Teaching is one of the hardest jobs out there, and it’s easy to feel like your efforts go unnoticed. But here’s the truth: what you’re doing matters, and we see you. The Science of Reading Formula is here to make your job easier and remind you of the incredible impact you’re making every single day. Let’s celebrate your wins and tackle those challenges together.