Print Joey

Craft

Paper butterfly craft

Craft settings

Wing shape

The outline you pick is exactly the one the template prints.

Finished size

Measured across the finished butterfly, wing tip to wing tip.

Your PDF
Advanced settings

Live worksheet preview
1 / 2
100%
FOLD · CUT · DECORATEPaper butterflyA fun and easy craft you can do at homeYou will needColoured paperScissorsGlue or tapeA pipe cleaner, or a strip of paperMarkers or crayonsStickers (if you have them)1Fold the paperTake a piece of coloured paperand fold it in half.2Draw half a wingOn the folded edge, draw half abutterfly wing. Any shape youlike.3Cut it outCut carefully along the line youdrew.4Open it upUnfold the paper. You shouldhave a butterfly shape.5Decorate the wingsUse markers, crayons or stickersto decorate your butterfly.6Make the bodyTwist a pipe cleaner for the bodyand the antennae, and glue iton.Finished! Well done — you made a beautiful butterfly.Created with Print Joey — printjoey.com
Page 1 of 2
Wing templateFold along this lineCut along the outlinePrints 130 mm across, wingtip to wingtip.Created with Print Joey — printjoey.com
Page 2 of 2

What you’re making

A hand-drawn poster of the paper butterfly craft: a list of materials, then six numbered steps — fold the paper, draw half a wing, cut it out, open it up, decorate the wings, make the body — each with a drawing of that stage beside it.
Inspiration image — your download is the live worksheet preview above, with the options you choose.

Fold · cut · decorate

One fold becomes two matching wings.

Children make the butterfly themselves, then turn the plain paper wings into their own colourful design. It is a small craft with a satisfying reveal when the fold opens.

guided steps
6
wing shapes
3
with adult help
4+

Gather before you start

  • Coloured paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue or tape
  • Markers or crayons
  • Pipe cleaner

Quick guide

How it works

Print the steps, fold a sheet of coloured paper, and cut out a butterfly. The sheet shows each step with a drawing beside it, and a second page prints the wing template at the size you pick — lay it against the fold, cut once, and it opens into a symmetrical pair of wings. It prints in colour, or in black and white if you would rather spend less ink; the butterfly’s own wings come out bare either way, because decorating them is the child’s part.

Pick a wing shape and a size, then download the sheet — the template prints with it.

  1. Choose the wing shape: rounded, pointed or scalloped.

  2. Choose how big the finished butterfly should be.

  3. Keep the template page, or turn it off if the child would rather draw their own wing.

  4. Leave the sheet in colour, or switch it to black and white to save ink.

  5. Download the PDF and print it on A4 or US Letter.

Teaching tip

Using these worksheets in teaching

Folding a sheet and cutting one half is the first symmetry most children meet, and it is a better lesson than a diagram: the two wings match because the paper was folded, and unfolding it is the proof. The cutting itself is scissor practice along a curve, which is harder and more useful than cutting a straight line.

Frequently asked questions

  • What do I need to make it?

    Coloured paper, scissors, and something to stick with. A pipe cleaner makes the best body and antennae, but a rolled strip of the same paper works. Markers, crayons or stickers for the decorating step are optional — the sheet lists all of it in the box at the top.

  • Do I have to print the template?

    No. Step 2 asks the child to draw their own half-wing on the fold, which is the part of this craft where the shape becomes theirs. Turn the template off and the sheet prints as one page of instructions. Turn it on when a younger child wants a line to follow.

  • How big will the butterfly be?

    As wide as the size you chose, wingtip to wingtip: 9 cm, 13 cm or 17 cm. The template prints half of that, because the fold doubles it — so a 13 cm butterfly comes from a 6.5 cm template laid against a folded edge.

  • Can I print it in black and white?

    Yes. “Print in colour” is on by default, and it puts colour on the step numbers, the rules and the little sheets of paper in the drawings. Turn it off and the same sheet prints in greys for a fraction of the ink, which is what you want for a class set. The butterfly’s wings are left undecorated in both, because decorating them is step 5.

  • What age is it for?

    A four- or five-year-old can do it with an adult holding the fold and doing the cutting. From about six a child can cut their own, and from about eight the scalloped wing is worth attempting. There is nothing to read that a beginner reader cannot be read to.

Related tools

Last reviewed: July 2026. Worksheet content is generated by deterministic algorithms and covered by automated correctness tests — no AI-generated answers.