This Symmetry Butterfly Painting is a fun way to talk about symmetry and to celebrate spring!
Spring is here and it’s the perfect time to do a fun butterfly craft for kids!
Butterflies are out in full force in the spring and summer, so it’s a great time to talk about these amazing insects with kids!
This butterfly symmetry art for kids is a fun craft I remember from my teaching days.
The preschool and kindergarten age kids always really enjoyed this project because it was a surprise when you revealed the symmetry print at the end.
Their eyes would always get so big with excitement!
Most of the tutorials online for symmetry painting tell you to draw a butterfly outline.
This always made me laugh because I am not naturally artistic.
So, to make your life easier, (and mine!) I’ve prepared free printable butterfly templates for your butterflies!
I created 4 different butterfly templates for you to choose from.
There are 2 different butterfly shapes both with and without the line of symmetry drawn on them.
There’s a total of 4 different butterfly templates for this symmetry butterfly project, so that you can find the perfect one for your kids!
What is symmetry?
According to Super Simple, symmetry is when two parts of a whole are exactly identical.
You can say something is symmetrical if you can draw a line down it and each side looks the same.
They are mirror images of each other.
The line in the middle is called the Line of Symmetry.
An example of symmetry is a heart, because it has two identical sides.
This butterfly symmetry activity is a great way to introduce the concept of symmetry to little ones.
Kids will enjoy creating their own butterflies by painting the butterfly’s wings on one side and then folding on the lines of symmetry to print a symmetrical pattern on the other side of the piece of paper.
Alright, let’s get started making our butterfly symmetry art!
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Supplies for Butterfly Symmetry Painting
For this Butterfly Painting Symmetry project, you will need the following items:
- Free Butterfly Symmetry Printable – Found at the end of this article
- Kids Washable Paint – We love this paint by Crayola
- Paper Plates
- Q-Tips (or paint brushes)
How to make Symmetry Butterfly Art
First, print out the symmetry butterfly craft template of your choice.
Fold the paper at the line of symmetry, then flatten the page back to normal.
(Folding in advance makes it easier to fold over later).
Pour a variety of different colors of paint onto the paper plate for your child.
We are going to paint with Q-Tips today, but paint brushes will work as well.
Show your child the line of symmetry. Tell them to only paint the left side of the butterfly.
(We are only painting half of a butterfly so that we can print the symmetrical butterfly image on the other side of the paper.)
The paint needs to be thick enough and wet enough to make a print on the other side.
So, encourage the children to paint a thick layer and to paint quickly because if they take too long, the paint will dry before they get to make their symmetry print.
Once they have painted the left side, help them to fold the right side over the left side.
Press the paper together, then assist them in opening the butterfly printable.
Kids will be amazed to see that their painting has been replicated onto the right side of the butterfly!
And… that’s it! You’ve made a Symmetry Butterfly!
My little one loved this so much, she made a whole group of butterflies!
By the way, did you know a group of butterflies is officially called “a kaleidoscope.” Love that!
Get the Butterfly Symmetry Printable
To get the free symmetry butterfly craft template set, just click on the black download button below!
There’s a butterfly symmetry worksheet both with the symmetry line printed and a plain butterfly template without the line.
You’ll notice there are 2 different shapes of butterflies as well!
Simply choose the butterfly symmetry printable you think will work best for your children.
Each butterfly is perfectly centered on the page to make folding for the line of symmetry super easy.
My 4 year old preferred using the papers with the line of symmetry drawn on them for this project.
She liked knowing exactly where to stop painting.
More Butterfly Crafts for Kids
Looking for additional ideas for your life cycles or butterfly unit lesson plans?
You can find more Spring crafts and activities for kids on my blog.
There’s a beautiful Butterfly Thumbprint craft here. There’s a free printable to make your fingerprint butterflies on.
Did you know you can order caterpillars from Amazon?
Kids can observe them as they turn into real butterflies! What fun! You can order real caterpillars here.
There’s some free Caterpillar Coloring pages here. You’ll find 4 adorable caterpillar printables to color or paint.
There’s also TONS of awesome free insect printables here including worksheets, activities, and more!
You can also find a Thumbprint Caterpillar art project here. Great for pairing with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. There’s a free printable leaf template for this craft.
Happy Spring!
Save this idea for later by pinning the image below to your Spring Crafts board on Pinterest!
Thank you for this pattern.
Absolutely! Enjoy!