Begin by painting a light coat of glue on the bottom of the child’s left foot. Aim for a nice, even layer so that you do not leave big globs of glue on the canvas. This keeps the footprint nice and neat and easy to paint over. Once the foot is lightly coated, guide the child to place his or her foot on the canvas. The left foot will form the RIGHT butterfly wing.

Working quickly so that the glue on the canvas does not completely dry, paint a nice, even layer of glue on the child’s right foot. Guide the child to make the footprint on the canvas. The right foot will form the LEFT butterfly wing.

Once the glue footprints are placed, paint over the wings with acrylic paint using a small paintbrush. Use the glue as your guide. Using this method with little children helps to keep the footprints nice and neat, but you will need abundant light to be able to see the glue prints clearly as you paint over them. Feel free to skip the glue altogether and simply use acrylic paint for steps 1-2 if the child isn’t too wiggly!

Once your butterfly is painted and has had time to dry, it is time to add those sweet little details. Using permanent markers, add a body and antennae.

Add details and designs! The possibilities are endless! You can add details to the wings. A handprint can become a glittery, shining sun, and you can use your fingers to make fingerprint flowers! Add in some grass using oil pastel crayons or markers, if you’d like! Draw a dot-to-dot flight path underneath your butterfly to show where it has been! This part is the most fun because it is where your creativity can really shine!

Prop up or hang your work of art for display! Don’t forget to add a name and date on the back so that you will remember the time you spent together crafting.