Butterfly Cycle Thumbprint Art
This Butterfly Life Cycle activity in the form of thumbprint art is what I like to call a win-win.
Kids like it because it’s so fun they will want to do it over and over again.
Moms and teachers like it because it takes only a tiny bit of time to set up, and only makes the tiniest bit of mess.
Bonus: kids get to learn a little bit about the life cycle of a caterpillar.
If you’ve got a kiddo who doesn’t like to get their hands messy, don’t worry. At the bottom of this post we’ve suggested alternatives to making thumbprints.
printing a caterpillar on the leaf
The Gist:
The idea behind this activity is that children will use their thumb to print/paint in the stages of the butterfly as it goes through its life cycle; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly.
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The Materials:
free printable(s) (You’ll find the link at the bottom of the page.)
painting implement if not doing thumbprints (see note below)
stamp pad (we prefer the washable one by Melissa and Doug)
The Steps
Show the caterpillar printable to the child and explain the activity.
Show the child how to make a fist, but leave the thumb extended and then press their thumb onto the ink stamp pad and then onto the paper (preferably just scrap paper at first).
(optional) Let the child explore making thumbprints on scrap paper.
Ask the child to pretend their thumb (or painting implement) is a caterpillar and print onto the picture in the order of the life cycle. (One print for the egg on the small leaf, several prints in a row for the caterpillar on the large leaf, two prints for the chrysalis hanging down from the branch, many prints to color in the butterfly.)
downward thumbprint for chrysalis
Tips
use a washable ink pad
use one ink color to minimize color mixing.
have hand wipes nearby
provide lots of paper for the child to print on so they aren’t tempted to print on walls or other surfaces.
Next Steps
Consider using the bonus printable Caterpillar Patterns (linked at bottom of page) for the child to make a pattern using multiple types of ink. Or keep it simple and just use one ink color to make caterpillars.
Give children blank paper and ask them to try to create other animals with their thumbprints. (Don’t be surprised if they start to get their whole hand in on the action.)
Give children blank paper to make whatever they want with thumbprint art.
Remind the child to put the lid on their ink pad and clean their hands when they’re done painting.
Alternatives
If you’re working with children who don’t want to get paint on their fingers, try some of these creative painting tools instead.
cotton ball held by a clothespin dipped in the tiniest bit of finger-paint
cotton swab dipped in liquid paint (washable tempera would work)
ink dauber used with the ink pad
dot paint marker (look for washable ones)
If you found this activity with free printables (linked below the image) useful, please share it so others will see it. And consider signing up for our email list to get access to the free bonus printables in the Resource Library and to get more fun activities delivered straight to your inbox.
The image below is Pinnable. Thanks!
Click the button to download the free Thumbprint Butterfly printable.
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