How to Make Tissue Paper Butterflies With Clothespins

Choose a bright-colored clothespin to make your tissue-paper butterfly stand out.

This simple tissue-paper butterfly clothespin craft is made with items commonly found in the home. With over 15,000 identified species of butterflies, the decorating possibilities are endless. The craft is easily adaptable as a classroom project: Preschool children will enhance their fine motor skills and older children can review a butterfly's different body parts.

Things You'll Need

• Tissue paper
• Scissors
• Plastic or wooden spring-type clothespin
• Pipe cleaner
• Markers

Instructions

1. Cut several 10-in. squares from the tissue paper.

2. Gather the squares of tissue into a uniform pile. Fold the tissue paper, accordion style.

3. Squeeze a clothespin open and clip it over the midpoint of the folded tissue. Open the wings out on either side.

4. Bend the pipe cleaner to form a "V" shape for the antennas. Bend each end of the antennas into a little "O" shape or knot.

5. Clip the "V" shape of the antennas into the clothespin, on top of the folded tissue.

6. Use markers to draw the butterfly's eyes just below the antennas.

Tips & Warnings

• Layer several colors of tissue paper to create a multi-hued butterfly.

• Replace tissue paper with white paper and use markers to create wing designs.

• Glue sparkles to create a glitter butterfly.

• Color a wooden clothespin with markers to add decorative or realistic details.

References

• Butterfly School: Tissue Paper Butterflies
• Kids Butterfly: How Many Kinds of Butterflies and Moths Exist?
• Butterfly Website: How to Say Butterfly in Different Languages
• Kids Butterfly: What are Butterflies and Moths?

Resources

• Enchanted Learning: All About Butterflies