24 Preschool Caterpillar Crafts
Inside: You’re sure to find a new favorite among this roundup of preschool caterpillar crafts.
I am so amazed with the wide variety of preschool caterpillar crafts out there. Whether you’re just wanting a cute spring craft, or something to go along with a life cycle of a butterfly unit, I’ve got you covered.
You’ll find a bunch of crafts that go with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – and I even have a brand new one of those here on this blog. (In fact, I made all the preschool caterpillar crafts collages below first, and then the inspiration hit me to make one more of my own).
So I’ll start off with that one. It’s a suncatcher caterpillar made with a little help from our recycling bin.
More Preschool Caterpillar Crafts
Now, here are all the rest – you’re sure to find the perfect one for your kids among these…
Clockwise from the top left:
Our hungry caterpillar button craft is great for fine motor skills, and can be made easier for younger children.
Yarn wrapping is great for developing fine motor skills, and this caterpillar and accompanying butterfly are really cute!
Little ones will want to make several of these little crafts, so be sure you have plenty of supplies on hand.
I’m pretty sure my own kids came home from kindergarten wearing these adorable caterpillar necklaces.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars start out black with white and yellow stripes. You can make your own monarch caterpillar craft with this fun tape resist method.
Related: Printable Hole Punching Activity to go with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This next group of caterpillar crafts are all really tactile and hands-on.
Clockwise from the top left:
I love how this craft activity ties in details from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to work on days of the week, colors, and food names.
Next, what list of preschool caterpillar crafts is complete without a keepsake handprint version?
You can make this wiggling caterpillar in several different versions, and even turn it into a teaching tool.
This Woolybear Caterpillar yarn craft could be adapted to other varieties of fuzzy caterpillars too.
This colorful paint stick craft looks like so much fun for little hands!
Clockwise from the top left:
Have your preschoolers help you make a story sequencing set, and then retell Eric Carle’s book together.
Work on scissors skills cutting the free printable template to make this cute 3-D guy.
Keep your craft simple (but be sure to read the directions) with a paper chain caterpillar.
I love the Very Hungry Caterpillar collage I found here. It’s easy enough for toddlers too.
Raid the recycling bin and make this simple, colorful caterpillar while you talk about colors.
See how to make a fun puppet for retelling and talking about The Very Hungry Caterpillar book.
Using a hole puncher makes this cute craft extra fun for preschoolers.
Toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy doing some process art inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
This version at first looks similar to the one in the previous section, but is sturdier for pretend play.
Make a simple caterpillar clothespin craft that can transform into a butterfly.
Clockwise from the top left:
You might also like this other colorful yarn wrapping craft.
Preschoolers will enjoy making the leaf to go with this adorable caterpillar.
Let your little ones express themselves with fun paper plate caterpillars.
A Few Butterfly Resources Too
Did you find a favorite? After you try out a few preschool caterpillar crafts, you may like to check out this butterfly craft or this printable butterfly dot dabber worksheet.
You might even like my butterfly emergent readers:
