We have been loving butterfly crafts lately! This tissue paper butterfly craft came out so pretty and was lots of fun to make with Mr T and Mr Z.
To make this craft we used the crinkle butterfly decorations kit from Baker Ross which includes
- Lots of different brightly coloured tissue paper sheets
- Colourful ribbon
- Sequins
- Googly eyes
- Foam shapes cut into the shape of a butterflies body
- Coloured pipe cleaners
You will also need glue and possibly cellotape.
The boys loved picking out which colours they wanted to use. It’s recommended to pick two per butterfly. Mr T insisted on using three colours for one of his, but then the wings can’t spread out fully so I would suggest try and stick to two.
Once the colours are chosen you need to fold each piece tightly into a concertina, by folding it one way, and then turning it and folding it the other way until the whole sheet has a fan-like effect
This can be a little fiddly for young children, but it’s good fine motor practise! Mr Z (6) was able to manage his but Mr T (4) did need some help.
Once the tissue paper sheets are folded into the concertina, you push them both through the body of the butterfly, with a foam piece on the front and one the back, and then spread out the wings!
Once the tissue is pushed through, you just pull apart the folds from the edges to give the wings that spread out effect. As you can see we then decorated by gluing on sequins and adding antenae made with pipe cleaners. I secured the antenae with cellotape at the back but you could stick to glue if you prefer.
Mr T loves gluing! So he was very happy merrily sticking away and decorating with all his sequins. It is pretty relaxing!
Mr Z also really enjoyed the craft and was proud of how his butterfly came out. We have a whole flock of them displayed in the kitchen now! I was able to hang them up by their ribbons on the front of the fridge.
You can also make a few variations if you are making lots of these butterflies and want to add variety. This butterfly was made with three colours of tissue all folded together into one concertina, and then the edges of the wings cut into a different shape. We also tried using sequins for eyes. There are so many ways that your kids could put their own personalities stamp onto the butterflies.
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
These are very sweet!
Hi Anna! I found you through TGIF Linky party. I love this craft. Every year we study about butterflies (my kids keep requesting to do it) and this would be such a great project to add to our unit. Thanks so much for sharing!
These are adorable! I’m going to try this soon, glad I saw this on the TGIF linky party!
They look very pretty and easy to make.
Tissue paper is so versatile. A lovely idea
these are so pretty – what an innovative idea! 🙂 faye x
These look easy to do – which is always good for me as you know! 😉 Thanks so much for linking up to the Parenting Pin in Party this week, really appreciated.
This is so pretty!
Love this craft!
They are adorable – I have pinned them to my create with kids board
They look amazing! I definitely need to remembver this for the next time we do minibeasts at work!
Thanks for sharing! I think these would also make a great garland or party decorations.
-Alicia from jampaper.com/blog/
Your butterflies turned out so pretty! I am featuring these on TGIF tomorrow! Thanks for linking up,
Beth =)
These are so cute!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!
Such a simple but fun craft – they look great!
This is such an awesomely fun activity! Thank you for sharing your post with The Natural Homeschool and The Life of Jennifer Dawn Linky Party. 🙂 See you next Wednesday! 🙂
They’re adorable – your boys and the butterflies!
My grandkids would love to make these
Love it!!! So cute and creative!