DIY Flower Butterfly Wings for Kids

I absolutely love gardening and don’t mind a little dirt on my hands, so naturally, this is one of my favorite parts of the year. What makes it even better? My little Pixie running around the gardens with fairy wings we made from our picked flowers. Below you can see how easy and how beautiful these DIY Flower Butterfly Wings are to make.

DIY Flower Butterfly Wings Craft for Kids

Want to learn how to make flower butterfly wings? This adorable butterfly wing craft is the perfect way to get creative with the wildflowers and natural elements in your backyard. It’s the perfect costume for any imaginative little fairies!

Go for a nature walk to gather pretty leaves, wildflowers, dandelions, and clover. Then, use the DIY nature butterfly wing instructions to turn your kids into woodland fairies right at home.

The best part is that you’ll be using inexpensive materials you probably have on hand, along with treasures you find in nature. This makes this a budget-friendly craft that’s sure to inspire your kids this summer.

Making Crafts with Items Found in Nature

Making crafts with items found in nature is so much fun! It’s an easy way to encourage reluctant kids to use their imagination and become curious about the world around them. Learn about the flora and fauna in your backyard together. 

Your kids can get creative as you create some fun DIY nature crafts.

DIY Fairy Wings

These DIY butterfly wings are a great way to explore the plants in your area together. Gather all the grass, leaves, vines, and flowers that spark your child’s imagination. Then, use them to craft some amazing one-of-a-kind fairy wings in just 15 minutes! 

Keep reading to get step-by-step instructions for creating your very own DIY fairy wing craft from items found in nature. Plus, more fun ideas for backyard play and nature study together.

Flower Butterfly Wings Craft

DIY Nature Butterfly Wings Instructions

Get ready for a super easy outdoor craft your kids will love! You’ll love it too because it’s inexpensive and quick to make.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Suggested Supplies

• Contact paper. Our wings were about 24” wide and 18” tall. Adjust to the size needed for your little fairies. You will need two pieces that are the same size.

• 1 sheet of tracing paper or parchment paper that is the same size you want the wings to be.

• Flowers, leaves, and twigs, we used fresh but you could certainly use dried or silk to help the wings last longer.

• 1 oversized pipe cleaner, about 20 inches long (the blush pink piece used for the body of the wings).

• About 5 feet of extra fluffy trim. This will leave plenty of room to tie them in different ways.

• Tape

• Pencil

DIY Butterfly Wings

There’s definitely more than one way to put together these adorable backyard DIY wings, but I’m going to share with you the method we found to be the easiest. That way, you can enjoy these flower fairy wings stress-free. 

DIY Wings Costume Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Select fresh flowers and leaves that will easily flatten and pat dry.

2. Fold the parchment paper in half and freehand draw one side of the Pixie wings, then flip over and trace. This will create a symmetrical shape when you unfold the paper.

3. Tape the parchment paper to your table.

4. Cut the two pieces of contact paper that you’ll need.

5. Remove the nonsticky piece of paper on one piece of the contact paper and set it on top of the traced wings, sticky side up. Tape in place.

6. You should be able to see the outline of the wings through the contact paper.

7. We started by adding some small branches with leaves to outline the wings a bit. This step is important to help ensure that the wings will hold their shape once picked up and when being worn. Without this rigid element, the wings will flop down the entire time.

8. Add the flowers and leaves around these twigs and branches.

9. Leave about ½ to 1 inch around the edge empty to ensure the contact paper can make a secure seal.

10. When you’re happy with the layout, slowly add the second piece of contact paper, sticky sides together. Start on one side and work your way across so you can remove the air pockets as you go.

11. Center the oversized pipe cleaner in the narrow part of the wings where a butterfly’s body would be and fold around the tall way. The pipe cleaner we used was the perfect length to fully cover both sides and have enough left to secure it in place with a twist on each end. The ends of the pipe cleaner we used had a folded over and coated end so they aren’t sharp, make sure the one you use isn’t sharp on sensitive skin.

12. On the backside of the wings, feed the long piece of trim through the top part of the pipe cleaner so it is even on both sides.

13. Then wrap the trim over your child’s shoulders and loop back to the wings and feed through the bottom of the pipe cleaner again (think backpack straps). 

14. Finally, tie in a bow and enjoy a bit of magic.

DIY Fairy Wings for Kids

Use Your DIY Nature Butterfly Wings All Year

You can use these cute DIY nature butterfly wings all year long! There are many fantastic ways to learn and play with this adorable craft.

Check out some of our favorite ideas below:

Forest School Craft

If you’re part of a Free Forest School group or exploring nature study with your preschool and elementary learners, you can use this DIY butterfly wing craft to display all the amazing “treasures” they find in the forest. 

Complete this craft as a group or send your little explorers home with materials and instructions to get parents in on all the nature learning fun! Then, host a show and tell where kids can show off all the amazing flowers and leaves in their DIY nature butterfly wings.

Fairy Garden Role Play

Have you heard of fairy gardens? People everywhere are creating magical fairy gardens in their own backyards and flower pots with recycled and found items.

Wanna have some fun with your little ones this Summer? You could create your very own fairy garden together!

Check out some of these DIY fairy garden kits:

• Little Grower’s Fairy Garden Craft Kit
• Miniature Succulent Fairy Garden

Then, build your very own DIY nature wings and role play fairy games together. It’s a fun way to bring the magic to life with your kids this year. 

Build a Butterfly Garden for Your Butterfly Wings

Not into fairies? These DIY nature wings make great butterfly wings too!

Check out these butterfly garden ideas:

• Insect Lore Butterfly Growing Kit
• 50 Garden Butterfly Ornaments

Want to learn more about butterflies or fairies with your kiddos while you play?

Check out these books and learning toys:

• Safari LTD Butterflies TOOB
• Schleich Bayala Fairy Playset
• Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl
• Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide by Lauren Davidson

DIY Butterfly Theme Lessons

While you’re building your very own nature wings to wear and play with, take the opportunity to learn a bit more about these amazing insects with your kids. It’s the perfect way to introduce them to the process of metamorphosis too! 

Begin by reading Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar with preschoolers or explore a non-fiction book about butterflies with older kiddos. Then, try some of my exciting butterfly lessons and printable activities:

• The Best Butterfly Life Cycle Activities for Kids
• Butterfly Sensory Bin and Butterfly Preschool Activities
• Caterpillar and Butterfly Ideas for Kids
• Easy Butterfly Life Cycle Craft for Kids

Whether you make these cute butterfly wings part of a preschool lesson, a backyard project, or just enjoy them together one Summer afternoon, I know your kiddos are going to love getting creative as they make their very own DIY nature butterfly wings with flowers and twigs they find all on their own.

Flower Fairy Wings

Don’t forget to share your DIY nature backyard adventures with me in the comments. I can’t wait to read about all the fun you’re having with your kiddos this Summer!

Flower Theme for Preschool, Kindergarten and Early Elementary

How to Make Flower Fairy Wings