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Materials needed:
- Assortment of colorful paper (red, pink, purple, white, patterned)
- Scissors
- Glue or glue stick
- Hole punch
- Curling Ribbon (gift wrap ribbon)
- Glitter (optional)
- Hair clip or headband (optional)
For this project, you’ll need to help your child cut out several hearts - directions for the “fold method” of making heart shapes is below.
Here are some guidelines for age-appropriateness:
- Ages 6 and over may already know how to cut out hearts using the fold-method. Some may need help getting their lines straight.
- Ages 3-5 may just need help with drawing the heart shapes, but can then take over with cutting the hearts out.
- Ages 2-3 - you may want to cut the hearts out for them.
Instructions:
For each butterfly, cut out:
- 2 hearts that are the same size and color for the “wings.”
- 1 heart that is long and narrow for the “body.”
- Assortment of small hearts - to decorate with
Place the two (same) hearts together with their points going towards each other, and have the points overlap a little.
Place the long, narrow heart on top of the other two hearts and glue them together.
Punch out two holes, put ribbon through holes and tie the ribbon together to create antennae. Cut extra ribbon off.
If placing on a barrette or headband:
Slide barrette or headband through ribbon on back. Glue in down, if desired. For headbands, several butterflies can be put on together.
How to Make Hearts (the fold-method)
Most people know how to make these, but I still run into some people who have never tried this before. This will create perfectly shaped hearts that are symmetrical – every time! And once kids know how to do this, they will “own” this technique and enjoy teaching their friends.
- Fold your paper in half.
- Along the fold (touching the fold!) draw a circle.
- Now, imagine that this circle is a scoop of ice cream, and draw the cone (one side of the cone is the folded side of the paper.
- You are now ready to cut out the heart – only cut along the outside line.
After doing a few of these, your child will eventually become so good at it, they will be able to draw just the heart shape –without drawing a circle.
