How to Make a Butterfly Footprint Craft

Kids can make a simple yet charming butterfly craft by tracing their feet. Although the kids can leave their shoes on while tracing their feet, bare feet give the butterfly and extra special look. If you are working with a group of kids, you might want the kids to cooperate and take turns tracing each other’s feet. Preschool and younger children may need help tracing and cutting out the feet, while older children can do it by themselves.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Colored paper
• Contrasting background paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers or crayons
• Glitter (optional)
• Ribbon or yarn (optional)
• Small pom-poms (optional)
• Small plastic google eyes (optional)

1. Let the child choose colored paper and background paper for the butterfly craft. Contrasting colors, such as a pink butterfly on a blue sky background, work best.

2. Trace both of the child’s feet on colored paper. Young children can fit both of their feet on a single piece of paper, while older children may need two pieces.

3. Cut out the paper feet and flip them over so the pencil marks won’t show.

4. Swap the position of the feet so the left foot is on the right and the right foot is on the left.

5. Place the paper feet on the background paper so that they touch each other in the middle, forming the butterfly wings. Glue the feet to the background paper.

6. Decorate the butterfly feet with markers, crayons or glitter. The kids can make their craft look like a real butterfly, such as a Monarch, or a whimsical butterfly with stripes, polka dots or even hearts.

7. Draw and color a circle for the butterfly head above the wings. Draw a face on the head, or glue on small plastic google eyes.

8. Draw antennae for the butterfly’s head, or glue on pieces of ribbon and pom-poms at the top.

9. Decorate the background paper as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don’t mind letting the kids get messy, you can have them dip their feet in paint and press their feet to the paper to make the butterfly footprints instead of tracing them on paper.

• Make sure to have the kids put their name on the front or back of their butterfly craft, if you are working with a group.

• Supervise children when working with scissors and glue.