This is a beautiful butterfly craft that's easy to make using painted burlap. The simple painting activity promotes creativity and fine motor skills. Kids will love making beautiful butterflies to use in pretend play.

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Butterflies are fun to watch in spring and summer. Kids love to imitate their movements and study the colors of their wings.

Learning about butterflies is a fun part of a nature theme for preschoolers.

• A Butterfly study unit is prepared for you at the end of the post.

Extend the fun and learning to kids crafts.

This simple painting activity is easy to set up with craft paints and burlap fabric.

The results are amazing!

Burlap Butterfly Craft

This is an open-ended activity. Use any shape you like for the butterfly pattern. Kids can be creative with the colors and designs they paint on the fabric, how much paint they use, and how thick they apply the paint.

Supplies for burlap butterfly

• burlap
• paint and brushes
• clothes peg
• cardboard template

If burlap isn't available you can try substituting other fabrics such as cotton or denim that will hold their shape when painted.

If a clothes peg isn't available, try using a regular clothes pin.

Instructions for burlap butterfly

1. Draw a simple pattern for the butterfly on paper or cardboard. Cut the butterfly in half down the middle.

2. Place the half-butterfly pattern on the folded edge of the burlap. 

3. Cut around the pattern and open the burlap to reveal a butterfly with two identical wing shapes.

4. Fray the edges of the burlap to add texture to the wings.

5. Paint the right-side wing only with generous amounts of paint.

6. Fold the left-side wing onto the painted side.

7. Press gently with your palm to transfer the paint pattern from the right-side wing to the left-side wing.

8. Unfold to reveal both wings of the butterfly with the same pattern.

9. Add extra paint to the wings to darken or fill in spaces.

10. Paint the clothes peg or leave it plain.

11. Allow paint to dry. This may take overnight depending on how thickly the paint has been applied.

12. Scrunch the wings into the clothes peg. 

Glue a single strand of burlap for antennae.

Your beautiful butterfly is ready for summertime pretend play!

Butterfly study unit

ABC Method

Activities

1. Gross motor

• Role play stages of a caterpillar: 1) crawl on a leaf 2) curl up in a cocoon 3) spread butterfly wings to fly.

2. Nature walk

• Explore habitats where butterflies may be found.

3. Take away game

• Place several plastic butterflies on a tray. Remove one while kids cover their eyes. Guess which one is missing.

4. Scavenger hunt

• Hide several toy butterfly figures, or pictures of butterflies, in the classroom or outside for children to find.

5. Sorting

• Sort butterfly toy figures by color and size.

Books

1. My, Oh My A Butterfly / by Tish Rabe

2. I'm a Caterpillar / by Jean Marzollo

3. Elmer and Butterfly / by David McKee

4. Gotta Go! Gotta Go! / by Sam Swope

5. Butterfly Counting / by Jerry Palotta

Crafts

1. Butterfly made with lace trim 

2. Green leaf butterfly

3. Caterpillar to butterfly

4. Fuzzy caterpillar

More Butterfly Crafts

Butterflies from other Kid Bloggers

 Butterfly with fluttering paper wings / Fireflies and Mudpies

 Fabric butterfly / Kids Craft Room

 Butterfly hand print card / The Best Ideas for Kids

 Butterfly with watercolors and pompoms / iHeart Crafty Things

Chromatography butterflies  / Buggy and Buddy

Butterfly on Pinterest