You’re about to be swept away into the whimsical world of kids craft as we transform simple supplies into a fluttering masterpiece! Imagine the pride of creating your very own insect craft with just a few materials.
This paper plate butterfly craft for kids will have you feeling like a young Picasso, unleashing your creativity with every snip of the scissors.
But the magic doesn’t stop there! We’ll breathe life into this vibrant creature by layering colors, shapes, and textures to craft dazzling wings that seem to flutter right off the page.
Get ready to be amazed as an ordinary paper plate metamorphosizes into an extraordinary 3D butterfly that will make your inner child squeal with delight.
But first, let’s take a quick look at the things you will need to make a paper plate butterfly craft for kids.
Editor’s Note: I have also created multiple simple versions of paper butterfly tailor made for kids of all ages. You can find the easier and templatized versions of paper butterfly craft below:
Step 1: Things You’ll Need For This Paper Plate Butterfly Craft
Paper Plate: You will need a paper plate of standard size or as per availability to cut the required shapes out of it. I have used a paper plate that has some patterns over it as seen in the image above. If you have it without patterns then you can apply paint after cutting the shapes.
Popsicle Sticks: To make the main body structure of the butterfly you will need two popsicle sticks.
Paint and Brush: To shade the popsicle sticks you will need a paintbrush and watercolors or any other paint used for craft activities. Also, if you are using a paper plate without patterns you can use water colors to shade the shapes after cutting them.
Markers: To draw the eyes, mouth, and body stripes over the popsicle sticks you will need markers.
Scissor and Glue: To cut the paper plate into required shapes you will need a scissor and you can use a multipurpose glue to stick the required elements.
By arranging the required craft materials listed above you can move to the core steps below.
Step 2: Cutting the Paper Plate
Let’s start by cutting the paper plate and shaping it into butterfly wings.
I have cut the paper plate in three parts to obtain the even shape as per the patterns, however, you can cut the paper plate in two equal parts.
If your plate is plain, add some flair by painting each section with different colors to personalize it.
Step 3: Trim them into Equal Pieces
I’ve cut the paper plates into 8 equal sections, just like you see in image 3.2 above. This gave me two sets of designs, each with 4 parts.
Step 4: Joining the Edges
Now, let’s connect the edges of the paper plate cutouts to shape the butterfly wings.
I’ve matched up the pieces with similar patterns and stuck them together, just like in the images above.
Step 5: Shading the Popsicle Sticks
It was time to craft the main body of the butterfly, so I used two popsicle sticks for the structure.
Firstly, I applied yellow paint to the popsicle sticks and let them dry completely.
Then, using a black marker pen, I drew the body patterns and eyes of the butterflies, just like in image 5.2 above.
Finally, with a red marker pen, I drew the shape of the mouth on both sticks.
Step 6: Constructing the Antennas
As you may recall, I had cut the paper plate into three parts, leaving a strip, as per step 2.
I used that leftover strip of the paper plate to construct the antennas of the butterfly, as shown in image 6 above.
Step 7: Paper Plate Butterfly Assembling Trick
We have already shaped and stuck the pieces of the paper plate uniquely, however, here’s another trick that added more uniqueness to the craft.
I placed one of the popsicle sticks and stuck the antennas and wings with proper alignment to its back and then I aligned the wings with similar patterns together, as shown in image 7.2 above.
Step 8: Applying the finishing touch to our paper plate butterfly
In the image 8.1 above, you can see me holding the second popsicle stick, which I stuck parallel to the one placed beneath the structure.
However, I let the wings and antennas dry for some time before assembling the other popsicle stick.
This trick ensured the butterfly looked similar from both sides and could be hung in any open space of your home as decor.
Looking at the image above, you can see the final structure of the paper plate butterfly craft. If you flip the structure, it looks similar from the other side too.
Note: It took about 10 minutes to craft this unique paper plate butterfly structure which includes the painting and shading of the popsicle sticks.
Video Walkthrough of Paper Plate Butterfly Craft Kids
Final Thoughts
This delightful paper plate butterfly craft for kids is an absolute joy to create as it not only stimulates creativity and fine motor skills, but it’s an eco-friendly way to breathe new life into household items.
Imagine the pride your little ones will feel displaying their vibrant 3D butterflies around the house.
For an extra special touch, I recommend writing a fun fact about butterflies on the underside of the wings to blend learning into playtime.
You could even turn it into a thoughtful gift by attaching a personalized note or having your child decorate their own unique creation for a loved one.
Note: To further assist you I have also shared the complete video walkthrough of the paper plate Butterfly craft on our official YouTube channel.
