This sweet little craft uses something you already have and turns it into a colorful butterfly. It’s simple, forgiving, and great for short toddler attention spans.
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🧺 Materials (simple household items)
• 1 empty toilet paper roll
• Crayons, markers, or washable paint
• Scrap paper or old magazine pages
• Glue stick or white school glue
• Optional: stickers, pom-poms, or googly eyes
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👵 Step-by-Step Instructions (Made for Grandmas)
1. Decorate the roll
Let your grandchild color or paint the toilet paper roll.
Tip: Markers or crayons are easiest and least messy for this age.
2. Make the wings
Cut a simple butterfly wing shape from scrap paper (one piece that looks like a big bow works well).
Little helper note: A 3-year-old can help choose the paper, but grown-ups should do the cutting.
3. Decorate the wings
Let your grandchild color the wings or add stickers. No right or wrong here!
4. Glue the wings on
Help them glue the wings to the back of the toilet paper roll. Hold for a few seconds so it sticks.
5. Add a face (optional)
Draw eyes and a smile or glue on googly eyes. Pom-poms make cute antennae if you have them.
6. Dry time
Set the butterfly aside to dry. Then let it “fly” around the room 🦋
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🧼 Grandma Tips
• Put down newspaper or a placemat for easy cleanup
• If attention starts to wander, stop early—the butterfly doesn’t need every step to be finished
• Praise effort, not neatness (“I love how colorful your butterfly is!”)
