Spring is in the air … and soon butterflies will be, too! Today, I have some Montessori-inspired butterfly activities using free butterfly printables … perfect for spring and summer.
I’m excited to share my latest subscriber freebie … a Montessori-inspired butterfly pack! Here, I’m also sharing the links to lots of free butterfly printables for preschoolers through 1st graders (and sometimes older). To keep the list manageable, I’m sharing links that are specifically related to butterflies rather than caterpillars except where the printable focuses on the complete butterfly life cycle.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Free Printables Featured in the Butterfly Activities at PreK + K Sharing
Alphabet Butterfly Puzzles
Free Printable: Alphabet Butterfly Puzzles from Totschooling
This was a simple activity to prepare! I just had to print out, laminate, and cut out the letter puzzles. I added them to a Montessori Services basket. You can decide which letters to use according to your child’s or students’ ability levels. You could use one of the recommended Montessori orders for introducing letters to decide which letters to use (unless your child or students are ready for the entire alphabet).
I love that this is a visual discrimination activity (and even a symmetry activity) along with being a way to focus on letters. You could emphasize the capital versus lowercase letters, although I would just emphasize the letter sound. For example, for the assembled puzzle in the photo, I would simply say, “This is /b/.” In my DIY beginning Montessori phonics post, you’ll find lots of ideas for introducing phonics, including a video showing how to pronounce each letter sound.
Butterfly Do-a-Dot Tray
Free Printable: Butterfly Do-a-Dot Printables (finding lowercase letter b and butterfly do-a-dot image) from Gift of Curiosity
Free Printable: Blue Morpho Butterfly Letters for Salt or Sand Writing Tray, Tracing Letters, Object Basket, or Matching Different Letter B Fonts (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password)
For this activity, I printed out two of the pages from Gift of Curiosity’s butterfly do-a-dot pack … one with the blue butterfly image and one where the child places dots on each lowercase letter b. I used Do-a-Dot markers and an easel from the Montessori By Mom Art Appreciation Toolbox (which is awesome) to hold a letter b card. You could add an erasable crayon to the tray for tracing the letter b if you wish. The tray is a large plastic tray from Montessori Services.
Letter B Basket
Free Printable: Blue Morpho Butterfly Letters for Salt or Sand Writing Tray, Tracing Letters, Object Basket, or Matching Different Letter B Fonts (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password)
You could use any of the blue morpho butterfly letter b’s for this, but I chose to use the cursive b as a way to introduce cursive while still mainly using the print b. I used a variety of objects starting with b. You could just say the phonetic sound as you or your child removes an item from the basket: for example, “/b/ butterfly, /b/ banana…”
Some of the objects are ones I had at home, although most are from Montessori Services (they have individual phonetic objects or a whole set available). The butterfly is from the Safari Ltd. Butterflies TOOB (which I highly recommend for a butterfly theme).
Butterfly-Themed Letter B Salt Tray
Free Printable: Blue Morpho Butterfly Letters for Salt or Sand Writing Tray, Tracing Letters, Object Basket, or Matching Different Letter B Fonts (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password)
I love salt or sand trays for writing activities! To color the sand, I added some food coloring to salt in a bag, shook it up, and let it dry. Super easy! I used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. The Lace and Trace Shapes are now on my educational toy shelf in my living room. I tied the appropriate lace to each shape and placed the shapes on a bamboo paper plate holder. Very easy and a more accessible way for children to use the shapes than in the tray. And the wooden tray is perfect as a salt or sand tray!
Again, I would introduce the letter sound rather than the letter name, simply saying “/b/” (the letter sound) as I slowly show how to write the letter using my index and middle finger. Of course, you could include a writing tool if you wish.
Letter and Writing Activities
Free Printable: Letter B Book of Rhymes and Songs from The Measured Mom
Free Printable: Letter B Picture Booklet from The Pinay Homeschooler
Free Printable: Blue Morpho Butterfly Letters for Salt or Sand Writing Tray, Tracing Letters, Object Basket, or Matching Different Letter B Fonts (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password)
This photo shows my current letter and writing activities area in my living rom. The metal insets (mine are actually plastic insets from Alison’s Montessori) aren’t part of the butterfly letter theme, but they’re wonderful for preparing the child’s hand for writing letters (and numbers).
My granddaughter loves handmade books, so I put together the free printable books from The Measured Mom and The Pinay Homeschooler.
Decorate the Bb’s Butterfly Letter Craft (from last year’s Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Activities Using Free Printables Post)
Decorate the Bb’s Butterfly Craft
Free Printable: Decorate the B’s from 3 Dinosaurs (Romping & Roaring B Pack, Part 1).
This activity uses a large plastic tray from Montessori Services and a Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly Crafts Punch. The butterfly punch creates a great fine-motor activity as well as a craft. The child can punch butterflies out of colored cardstock or construction paper and then glue the butterflies on the letter Bb’s (again, emphasizing the letter sound rather than the letter name).
Free Butterfly Printables for Preschoolers-First Graders (some printables for up to grade 3)
Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, and DIY Movable Alphabet (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber)
- Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Cards from Suzie’s Home Education Ideas
- Butterfly Matching Cards from PreKinders
- Butterfly Pattern Printables from Printable Kindergarten
- Butterfly Printables from Preschool Mom
- Butterflies from Making Learning Fun
- Butterfly Printables and 5 Ways to Use Them from Preschool Inspirations
- Butterfly Preschool Printables from Homeschooling Hearts and Minds
- Butterfly Do-a-Dot Printables from Gift of Curiosity
- Butterfly Identification Cards from Look We’re Learning
- 25+ Free Butterflies and Moths Vintage Printable Images from Remodelaholic
- Butterfly Life Cycle Printable Set from The Natural Homeschool
- Butterfly Life Cycle Cup from Teaching Mama
- Butterfly Life Cycle Craft from Buggy and Buddy
- Playdough Butterfly Life Cycle from Learning 2 Walk
- Butterfly Life Cycle from Lakeshore
- Butterfly Life Cycle Printable Book from Fun-a-Day
- Butterfly Emergent Readers Subscriber Freebie from In All You Do
- “Give the Butterfly Some Wings” Playdough Mat from Picklebums
- Insect Unit with Free Printables from Every Star Is Different
- Butterfly Printables from ABC Teach
- Butterfly Lapbook from Homeschool Share
- Spring Playdough Mats from Itsy Bitsy Fun
- Romping & Roaring B Pack from 3 Dinosaurs
- Butterfly/Ladybug Prepositions Bingo from Chapel Hill Snippets
- Butterfly Mask Templates from Life Over C’s
- Printable Craft: Painted Lady Butterfly from Learn Create Love
- Printable Monarch Butterfly Craft from Learn Create Love
- Butterfly Printable and Watercolor Tutorial from My Flower Journal
- DIY Butterfly Wall Art with Free Templates from MooMama
- Hatching Butterflies Observation Notebook from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
- Butterfly Notebook Pages from The Crafty Classroom
- Butterfly Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers
- Butterfly Printables from Teachers Notebook (the word search can’t be saved, so just search for butterfly and free when you’re there)
More of my Resources That Include Butterfly Activities:
Montessori-Inspired Caterpillar-Butterfly Unit
Free Counting Book Printable for Any Theme
Montessori-Inspired Life Cycle Activities
Free Butterfly Printables and Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Activities
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My daughter will love these!