Butterfly Lacing Card | Activities

The perfect way to introduce bugs!

This is a very simple activity to help increase your child’s dexterity and spark their interest in bugs with one of the most interesting ones to look at — butterflies! Very easy to set up, all you have to do is cut out the shape of a butterfly and punch the holes around the edges. Your kiddo will then practice threading a string around the butterfly, capturing their attention and setting the stage to learn all about these magnificent creatures!

📚Books to explore: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle , and Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner

🦋 Meeting a new friend. Insects can be scary to a young child, so use this activity to develop an appreciation of these misunderstood creatures.

☀️ Go exploring! Extend this activity by going outside and seeing how many butterflies and caterpillars you can find around your house.

Materials

For this activity you will need:

Scissors
Cardboard
Crayons or markers
Hole punch
Long string or shoelace

Learning Outcomes

Domain

Physical

Skills

Fine Motor

Indicators:

Adapting holding from palmar or pincer grasp

Instructions

Step 1:

Using scissors, cut a large butterfly shape out of a piece of cardboard from a package or cereal box.

Step 2:

Using a hole punch, make holes all around the outside of the butterfly 1 inch apart.

Step 3:

Have the kiddo use crayons or markers to color the butterfly. You can also read a story or show them a picture to help inspire their design.

Step 4:

Using your string, tie a knot around one of the holes so it stays in place.

Step 5:

Encourage the child to thread the string all the way around the butterfly.

⬆️ For older kiddos: Have the child cut and create the butterfly on their own, encourage them to create unique patterns, or time how fast they can thread the string.

⬇️ For younger kiddos: Take a more active role by using hand-over-hand to help them through the parts that they find challenging.