Colorful Butterfly Craft from Recycled Magazine Pages

Do the magazines and junk mail pile up on the table at your house?   They sure do here!

Before you toss out those magazines, use a few pages to create your very own colorful butterflies from magazines.

This  magazine butterfly craft is one of our favorite recycled crafts for kids. 

This simple butterfly craft is sure to brighten up any room.  Just attach a string to the pipe cleaner and hang it in the window or from a door frame. 

It’s one of our favorite kids crafts for spring.

Magazine Butterfly Craft

Materials Needed:

• Old Magazines
• Pipe Cleaners
• Scissors

Begin by flipping through your magazines and looking for pages that are full of color.  Advertisments are great for this.

You will need 2 magazine pages for each butterfly you plan to make.  

For your top wing you will need to make a square with one of your magazine pages. 

Start by folding the paper diagonally, making sure the sides line up.  Cut off the extra portion.  

Once you’ve cut off the extra, unfold your square.

Starting at one corner of the square, fold the paper accordion-style.  Make each fold approximately 1/2 inch wide.  Children under 5 may need help with this part!

Next, you will make the butterfly’s bottom wing.

Take your second magazine page and fold it in half length-wise. 

Use scissors to round off the corners. 

Unfold your magazine page.  It should look like the picture below.  

Once again you will fold the page accordion-style.  This time start at the bottom, making each fold 1/2 inch wide as you work towards the top of the page.  

How to Make a Butterfly Out of Paper

Once your two pages are cut and folded, it’s time to put them together.

Place the 2 pages together and wrap a pipe cleaner around both wings.  The larger wings should be on top.

Twist your pipe cleaner tightly to hold the butterfly together.  

The top portion of the pipe cleaner will become antennae.  

Spring is the perfect time for butterflies.

Once you have made a few of these colorful crafts with your child, check out our super simple DIY butterfly feeder.   It’s a fun way to encourage real butterflies to visit.

This butterfly craft from magazine pages is perfect for brightening up the house this spring.

If you have a little girl, check out this butterfly garland idea you can make with your butterflies.  It’s an adorable decoration for a young girl’s room!

You’ll also want to check out these ideas: