In this post: Flutter with creativity with our bilingual butterfly crafts! Plus learn Spanish vocabulary about ‘las mariposas’.
Butterflies, with their vibrant colors and incredible life cycle, channel natural curiosity and creativity for kids.
Butterfly crafts offer a wonderful way to engage in artistic expression and enhance fine motor skills.
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Spanish Vocabulary about Butterflies
At Llamitas Spanish® we love teaching your kids Spanish through thematic, hands-on learning.
In our level 1 curriculum, your child will learn about butterflies and other insects in our garden unit (unit 4) and discover the life cycle of a butterfly too ~ all in Spanish of course!
Here are some useful Spanish phrases to teach them:
La mariposa (lah mah-ree-poh-sah) = Butterfly
Las alas (lahs ah-lahs) = Wings
Las antenas (lahs ahn-teh-nahs) = Antennas
Colorida (koh-loh-ree-dah) = colorful
Hermosa (ehr-moh-sah) = beautiful
You can expand with full sentences like “La mariposa es hermosa y colorida.”
You can incorporate these words into your crafting instructions, fostering language learning along with creative expression.
For instance, when discussing the butterfly wings, you can use Spanish colors and even talk about the patterns as shapes.
As you engage in these bilingual crafting activities, you’ll not only create beautiful pieces but also expand your Spanish vocabulary in a fun and meaningful way.
¡Disfruta creando mariposas increíbles! (Enjoy creating incredible butterflies!)
Las Mariposas: Butterfly Crafts
Paper Plate Butterflies
Materials:
- Paper Plate (plato de cartón: plah-toh deh kahr-tohn)
- Washable paints (variety of colors) (pintura lavable: peen-toh-rah lah-bah-bleh)
- Pipe cleaners (limpiapipas:leem-pyah-pee-pahs)
- Googly eyes (ojos movibles: oh-hohs moh-bee-blehs)
- Glue (pegamento: peh-gah-mehn-toh)
- Optional: craft gems or sequins (piedras pequeñas o lentejuela: pyeh-drahs peh-keh-nyahs oh lehn-teh-hweh-lahs)
Instructions:
- Take a paper plate and cut it in half.
- Let your creativity soar as you paint or color the paper plate halves. Use vibrant hues to mimic the wings of real butterflies.
- Once the paint or coloring is dry, attach pipe cleaners to the top of each half to create antennae.
- Glue googly eyes onto the plate near the top.
- If desired, decorate further with craft gems or sequins.
La Mariposa Pom Pom
Materials:
- Mini tote bags (bolsas reciclables de tela bohl-sahs rreh-see-klah-blehs deh teh-lah)
- Pipe cleaners (limpiapipas:leem-pyah-pee-pahs)
- Pom Poms (pompones)
- Googly eyes (ojos movibles: oh-hohs moh-bee-blehs)
- Scissors (tijeras: tee-heh-rahs)
- Glue (pegamento: peh-gah-mehn-toh)
Instructions:
- Lay the pipe cleaner out onto the tote bag into the shape of butterfly wings (see the picture). Glue it down.
- Next, add pom poms down the middle to make the butterfly’s body (the thorax and abdomen)
- Add the antenas with more pipe cleaners
- Add the googly eyes
- Decorate the interior of the wings with smaller pom poms or material you have available.
La Mariposa Enrollada
Materials:
- Cardstock (cartulina: kahr-too-lee-nah)
- Sharpie (marcador negro: mahr-kah-dohr neh-groh)
- Glue (pegamento: peh-gah-mehn-toh)
- Scissors (tijeras: tee-heh-rahs)
- Stapler: (engrapadora: ehng- grah-pah-doh-rah)
Instructions:
- Choose a cardstock color for the wings of the butterfly and cut out as shown in the picture.
- Choose a different color of cardstock and cut out a square. Wrap it into a tube and staple together.
- Decorate the wings with circles of cardstock using scissors and glue.
- Attach the antennae (help your child cutting to shape)
- Add the eyes and mouth with a sharpie.
La Mariposa Ligera
Materials:
- Leaf (hoja: oh-hah)
- Plasticine (plastilina: plahs-tee-lee-nah)
Instructions:
- Choose a large leaf from the garden.
- Form the center of the butterfly with brown plasticine (including the antennas)
- Decorate the wings with circles of plasticine.
La Mariposa Arcoíris
Materials:
- Crepe Paper: different colors. (Papel crepé de diferentes colores)
- Contact paper: adhesive. (Papel contact: pah-pehl kohn-tahkt)
- Butterfly template. (Molde de mariposa: mohl-deh deh mah-ree-poh-sah)
- Sharpie (marcador negro: mahr-kah-dohr neh-groh)
- Scissors (tijeras: tee-heh-rahs)
Instructions:
- Print the butterfly template (Find it in the Freebie Library).
- Color the middle part of the butterfly with the black marker and trace over the border of the wings to make them thicker.
- Cut out the butterfly. Do the same on its interior side.
- Cut out a square on the contact paper so that the black side of the butterfly faces the adhesive side of the Contact paper.
- Start gluing the little pieces of Crepe Paper (you can cut out tiny squares or in any shape you wish).
- Finally stick the butterfly on a window in your house.
Related post: El arcoíris: Easy Rainbow Crafts in Spanish
Spanish Freebie Library
These delightful butterfly crafts are not only a fantastic way to spend quality and creative time with your kids, but also provide an opportunity to practice Spanish!
Head on over to our Freebie Library where you will find PDF downloads to crafts, Spanish flashcards, games, printables and more!
So, grab your materials and let your artistic ‘alas’ (wings) take flight!
Founder of the Llamitas Spanish® Curriculum and former Spanish teacher. Corrie holds a Masters in Spanish and Education and is raising bilingual children in San Diego, CA.