Preschool Easter Craft: Resurrection Butterfly Wings Craft

Kids may struggle to grasp Jesus’ resurrection and what it means. Use this Butterfly Wings Craft to help kids understand this miracle.

We used the caterpillar’s life cycle to make this Resurrection Butterfly Wings Craft to explain the death and resurrection of Jesus to our 3- to 6-year-olds.

We explained that the caterpillar lives its life on the ground and then makes a cocoon where it seems to die. But the caterpillar isn’t dead; a miracle is happening in the cocoon, and the caterpillar is turning into a butterfly.

We tell the children that this is similar to what happened to Jesus. He was alive here on earth, but after he was crucified and died, his friends put him in a tomb. We explain that the caterpillar only seems to die, but that Jesus really died. Something marvelous happened for Jesus, too; God raised him from the dead, and he was alive again!

Optional: To reinforce this lesson, have children make butterfly wings on Palm Sunday. Tell them that they’ll be leaving their craft with you until Easter.

What you’ll need:

clear Con-Tact paper
masking tape
glitter
sequins
a permanent marker
craft sticks
chenille wires
brown paper bags
scissors
glue or tape

Peel the backing off the Con-Tact paper, and tape the edges to the table with the sticky side up for each child.

Preschool Easter Craft: Resurrection Butterfly Wings Craft

Tell kids to decorate the sticky side of their Con-Tact paper with glitter and sequins. When they’re finished, help lay a sticky piece of Con-Tact paper over their creation. Have children write their name on the back of their paper with a permanent marker.

After class, cut each child’s Con-Tact paper creation into a butterfly shape. Then glue the craft stick to the center of the butterfly for the body. Glue the chenille wire to the craft stick to make antennae.

Cut up brown paper bags and wrap each butterfly very loosely in the brown paper to resemble a cocoon. You can simply fold a piece of the brown paper over each butterfly and seal the side and ends with glue or tape. Write each child’s name on his or her cocoon.

On Easter Sunday, remind children of how Jesus came to life after his death. Give children their cocoons and have them gently open them to reveal their butterflies.

Pat Sullivan
Greenville, South Carolina

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