Introduce your little ones to the wonderful world of science with this free printable butterfly life cycle sequencing activity!
Perfect for kids of all ages, this fun activity will help them understand the stages of a butterfly’s life and how they change and grow.
These life cycle activities are a great way to teach your kids how caterpillars grow and transform into beautiful butterflies.
This free printable pack includes two sets of life cycle sequencing mats. One is in full color. The other is in black and white for those of you who prefer to save ink.
Butterfly Life Cycle
Did you know that butterflies begin their lives as an egg? After a few days, the eggs hatch and turn into caterpillars. They eat and grow until they become too big for their skin.
The caterpillars then form a chrysalis, or cocoon, to protect themselves while they change inside. When the time is right, the chrysalis split open and out comes a butterfly!
Butterflies can now fly around and enjoy life without a care in the world. They also look for food, mate and lay eggs for the next generation of butterflies!
Through this cycle of growth and transformation, butterflies are able to live full and varied lives in their natural habitats.
Explaining this life cycle to children is an important way to nurture curiosity about nature and inspire them to explore further.
The Importance of Teaching Sequencing
Sequencing activities are beneficial for developing cognitive skills in children of all ages. By breaking down a complex process or task into smaller, manageable steps, sequencing activities help children to better understand and remember information.
Sequencing also teaches problem solving skills and can be tailored to help children with their reading, writing and math abilities.
Furthermore, sequencing helps improve a child’s focus and attention span, as well as organization skills which are important for teaching time management in the future.
It’s easy to see why introducing sequencing activities at an early age can have such a positive long-term impact on a child’s development!
Butterfly Life Cycle Activities
There are so many ways to teach children the life cycle of a butterfly. Here are a few engaging ideas that will help you teach your kids about butterflies while keeping them learning at the same time.
Once you’ve explored these ideas, your kids will be ready to share their knowledge through our free sequencing activity.
Butterfly Movies for Kids
I love incorporating educational and engaging videos into our lessons whenever possible. They’re a great way to break from the books and worksheets that typically fill a science lesson.
I also save them for rainy days or sick days that may crop up during the unit.
Here are a few ideas:
- IMAX: Flight of the Butterflies
- Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends
- The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies
Books About Butterflies
I also love to include a wide variety of books in my lessons. I use some for read-alouds and save others for independent reading (when appropriate).
Below, I’m sharing a few of my favorite nonfiction books about the life cycle of a butterfly. I find they’re perfect for introducing the life cycle, increasing vocabulary, and illustrating important information.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Activities
Young learners love hands-on activities, and they help little ones engage with the topic at hand.
When studying the life cycle of a butterfly, you can add one or more of these activities to your to-do list:
• Spring is a great time to learn about butterflies. This life cycle of a butterfly craft will help little ones see how caterpillars become butterflies.
• This wooden butterfly puzzle brain game will promote hand-eye coordination, develop problem-solving skills and improve matching skills. In addition, it can stimulate a child’s imagination and creativity.
• This beautiful butterfly lacing toy is great for practicing the sewing motion.
• Spring and summer are the best time of year to study butterflies. This printable features nine life cycle of a butterfly activities for early learners.
Butterfly Life Cycle Sequencing Activity
Have your children learn about the life cycle of a butterfly with our fun sequencing activity! This exercise can help children not just understand the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle but also apply it to other processes and tasks.
What’s Included?
- two butterfly life cycle sequencing activities – one is in full color; the other is black and white
What You’ll Need
- printer and paper
- scissors and glue
- crayons (optional)
Preparing the Printables
Print one copy of the sequencing mats and the retelling page for each student. Print one copy of the sequencing discs for every two students.
I like to print the color version on cardstock and laminate the pages for durability. I cut out the sequencing discs and put a velcro dot on the back of each one. I put the other half of the velcro dot on each circle on the sequencing mat.
If using the black and white version, I print on regular printer paper. The kids can color the pictures and cut/paste them onto the sequencing mat.
COMPLETING THE ACTIVITY
You can use the laminated version of this life cycle of a butterfly sequencing pack in your science centers or as an individual activity. The cut/paste version can be used as seat work.
Start by reviewing the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle. Be sure to use vocabulary words such as pupa, larva, etc.
Then, have kids place the sequencing discs on the sequencing mat in the correct order.
Finally, older students can write about the life cycle on the writing page. This page has a section for first, then, and finally.