Let fun learning be re-born and happiness take flight with this Butterfly Life Cycle for Kids Printable Pack. Explain the butterfly life cycle easily, immerse kids in hands-on activities, and create a fresh Spring or Insect Unit.
RELATED: Insect Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners Unit Study
How to Teach the Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Many teaching methods and tools can be utilized. Lesson plans can be adapted to suit the learning needs and age groups of the kids. Here are some of the best ways to teach it:
- Visual Aids: Use picture cards containing real images, sequence cards, or fact posters to explain the various stages. Kids will have a better idea and be able to visualize the process.
- Mixed Media: Use a combination of books, videos, songs, or dances to explain it. Art and expression can help explain concepts in a way that helps relax kids yet also aids them in retaining important information.
- Observation in Real-Time: Step outside the classroom, head on a field trip or to a nature reserve and let the kids gain a practical understanding and a memorable experience.
- Interactive Activities: Through discussion sheets, insect lore or fun facts, dough mats, crafts, and worksheets, kids will not just understand the theory aspects but gain a deeper understanding of the butterfly life cycle, appreciate nature, and be more scientifically curious. That’s where this pack comes into play!
How to Explain the Stages of a Butterfly Life Cycle for Kids
We’re going to break it down into two sections. The first step is explaining the life cycle and the second step is explaining the anatomy of a butterfly that has undergone metamorphosis.
The reason for this is that there is a significant difference between a caterpillar and a butterfly. Seeing the intricate parts of this insect after it goes through separate stages helps kids grasp the importance and significance of the process.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Young children typically learn about the butterfly life cycle in kindergarten. However, it’s also common to study the lifecycle of a butterfly in PreK through second grade.
The butterfly has four stages of life:
- Egg: The egg stage is the first stage of the life cycle of a butterfly and lasts around one week. They are quite small!
- The larva (caterpillar): The caterpillar emerges from the egg after about a week. It is extremely little. It will consume a large amount of food before progressing to the following stage, when it will increase in size. The first thing it eats is usually the eggshell from which it hatches! During the caterpillar stage, it will have grown in size.
- Pupa, or chrysalis: For the next stage, the caterpillar will create a silk mat, wrap it around its body, and connect it to a branch or host plant. This is a chrysalis. This period lasts roughly two weeks.
- Adult Butterfly: After the pupa stage, the butterfly will leave the chrysalis. It undergoes a transformation and comes out with folded wings! The butterfly hangs upside down to help them straighten. Once the butterfly wings have dried from the sun, these lovely creatures take their first flight.
Note: All butterflies have the same life cycle however, the duration it takes for a butterfly to complete one life cycle varies. For example, a normal cycle can take 30 days but a monarch butterfly life cycle can surpass 200 days!
The Anatomy of a Butterfly
A butterfly has three major bodily sections. The three parts are the head, thorax (chest), and abdomen. Some of the parts listed below are attached to one of the three main body parts. Here is the anatomy of a butterfly:
- Head: This section of the body is critical for their existence.
- Antennae help butterflies smell!
- Proboscis: This tube-like tongue helps butterflies absorb floral nectar and tree sap!
- Compound eyes allow them to view in all directions at the same time!
- Legs: The pairs of legs allow them to smell and taste foods.
- Wings: A butterfly’s wings are covered with tiny scales that give them their gorgeous colours.
- Digestive Tract: This is a portion of the butterfly’s abdomen that helps it digest all of the floral nectar.
- Spiracles are apertures on the butterfly’s side. These openings let the butterfly breathe
- Reproductive Organs: Adult butterflies have reproductive organs on the outside of their bodies. Males have a pair of pinchers for clasping and female butterflies have a tube that lets them lay eggs.
This background information will make it easier to teach the kids. However, it might seem daunting to see how to approach these topics and that’s why you need this epic pack. The pack simplifies concepts and makes them appropriate for children.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Printable Pack
Children will love learning about the life cycle of butterflies with this amazing butterfly printable pack that contains real photos! Another great thing about this pack is that many of the activities can be enjoyed multiple times and in a variety of ways and by children of varying ages.
Video
Watch this demonstrative video to see the many different activities included!
Materials Required for this Pack:
Please note that affiliate links are used in this post.
Here are some items that pair well with these activities. You will use each of these items over and over during all my printable preschool activity packs.
- Card stock (to print everything out on.)
- A pocket chart (I have this one and this mini one too.)
- Scissors
- Laminator with pockets (If you want to make it reusable.)
- Lead Pencils
- Books on the life cycle of Butterflies
What’s Included?
Let’s take a sneak peek and see what fun activities await…
This Butterfly Animals Life Cycle Learning Pack contains 40+ pages of fun and learning activities for children in preschool and kindergarten.
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly for Kids
This is a great resource to use to learn more about butterflies and to encourage your child to always ask more questions regarding topics that they’re interested in. Here are the life cycle specific activities:
- Cards containing real-life photos of the butterfly life cycle
- Posters of the characteristics butterflies as well as their life cycle which may include the following topics: butterflies, eggs, caterpillars, pupa, chrysalis, emerging, habitat, compound eyes, diet, predators, camouflage, scales, proboscis, migrate.
- Parts of a Butterfly –a poster and a cut and paste activity
- Butterfly Life Cycle –a poster and a variety of different cut and paste activities
- Sequence Cards– arrange the stages of the life cycle in order
- Life Cycle Wheel– place the cards at the correct position
The pack uses different ways to make this process simple and easy to understand. From fact posters, picture cards, sequence cards and parts of a butterfly, it condenses the information in a way that is appropriate for children.
These fact posters can be printed out in black and white or color. I recommend laminating them and placing them around the classroom. They can also be used as discussion points during a field trip or as part of a listening comprehension.
Comparisons and Color By Number
The activities are fun but meaningful. A fun Venn diagram like butterflies and moths will help improve a child’s sorting and decision-making skills. Color By Number is a way for kids to improve number and color recognition- a bonus is that they will become more familiar with what butterflies look like.
These activities are:
- Butterfly –Venn diagram
- Butterflies and Moths –What they each can have and what both can have.
Butterfly and Caterpillar Crafts
Crafts improve fine motor skills, allow the kids freedom of expression and help convey important concepts in a hands-on manner.
These crafts will make your heart flutter!
More activities include:
- All About Butterflies and All About Caterpillars–A book for children to complete about what they have learned about each animal.
- Dough Mats
- Vocabulary Words
- Discussion Sheets
- How to Draw
Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheets
These activities are handy and can be used in many ways. Here are some ideas:
- Use them as part of your morning work.
- Hand them out to early finishers.
- Use it as a rainy day or quiet time activity.
- Add it to your Spring Unit resources.
Here are the worksheets included:
All Things Butterfly
These worksheets help kids visually discriminate between what is a butterfly and what is not, understand the life cycle and learn the various parts that make up a butterfly.
Color By Number
Color by number is a fun twist to regular coloring pages. It combines color and number recognition skills development in one task. A bonus here is that kids will reveal the mystery images which are butterfly-themed.
How to Draw
These easy 5 step tutorials will make drawing easier for all kids.
If you’re ready to add this fun butterfly printable pack to your insect study or butterfly learning lessons, now is the time to do so! All you need to do is click the button below!
GET THE BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES PACK
Enjoyed this fun butterfly printable life cycle pack? We have more for you to use for fun learning and homeschool supplementing! Check them out below!
More Life Cycle Printables
Check out all of our fun Life Cycle Printables.
More Butterfly Activities
- Sensory: Butterfly Sensory Bin
- Craft: Finger Paint Butterfly Craft
- STEM: Fizzing Baking Soda + Vinegar Butterfly Cocoons
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