Preschoolers are often captivated by the bright colors of butterflies.
Preschool-aged children are typically fascinated by insects, especially butterflies. Creating lessons and activities for your preschool students based on a butterfly theme does not take much effort. You can engage your students in butterfly activities while teaching them skills in literature, art, science and math.
Literature
Read books about butterflies to your students. One possible book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. As you are reading, discuss the book with your students. Ask them what they think will happen next in the book. When you are finished reading, discuss whether or not their predictions were correct.
Art Project
Have your students create their own butterflies. Have the students cut wings out of construction paper with safety scissors. Help the children who need it. Have the students decorate their wings. Then they will glue their wings to a craft stick. They can glue two small googly eyes to the craft stick or just use a marker to make the eyes. Cut pipe cleaners into 2-inch segments. Glue the pipe cleaners to the craft stick as antennae.
Raising Butterflies
Expose your students to the real life transformations of caterpillars to butterflies. You can order live caterpillars and watch as they double in size every day. After about one week, the caterpillars will start to make their way to the top of their cups. They'll hang upside down and begin to form their chrysalises. When they are all done, you just gently remove the lid. There's a paper that they are attached to. Carefully peel the paper from the lid and safety pin it to side of the butterfly net. Wait another week and you and your student can watch as your butterflies emerge from their chrysalises.
Memory Matching Game
Split your preschoolers up into groups of four. Print out pictures of butterflies. You need two of each butterfly for each group of four students. Cut the butterflies out and glue them to index cards, one butterfly to each card. Give each group of preschoolers a set of cards. Turn them upside down on their tables. Students take turns flipping two cards over and trying to find a match.
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