We went to the butterfly house at the zoo this past weekend. Oh my! Such beautiful butterflies. We had fun standing still and watching them flutter around us. We each held out a finger silently hoping a butterfly would land on one of us. Our favorite part of the butterfly house is looking through the window and seeing the caterpillar to butterfly process. All the cocoons of different sizes hung in rows; the newly emerged butterflies trying wings for the first time.
The process of caterpillar to butterfly is a great spring theme for toddlers and preschoolers. Spring brings so many changes to the world around our little ones. Butterflies are just one beautiful example of how spring transforms something plain into something colorful.
I love this list of songs because they all teach the caterpillar to butterfly cycle. Each song captures the beauty of this process in a unique way. These songs are a great way to reinforce the concepts taught in books, poems or activities. They would make a great soundtrack for a crafting session, a butterfly hunt, or free play time. They can also take front stage by letting kids explore instruments while listening.
Caterpillar to Butterfly Songs
- Katy Caterpillar by Key Wilde and Mr Clarke on Animal Tales
- Butterfly by Laura Doherty on In a Heartbeat
- Flutter by Butterfly by Fun O’Clock on In the Nick of Time
- Butterfly by Bari Koral on Anna and the Cupcakes
- Butterfly Away by the Harmonica Pocket on Sundrops
- Wooly Wooly Bear by Laura Doherty on In a Heartbeat
Caterpillar to Butterfly Life Cycle
Butterflies begin as an egg. When the egg hatches, a caterpillar emerges. The caterpillar grows, eating leaves. Then the caterpillar spins itself into a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Once the transformation is complete, the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon. At first the butterfly’s wings are still damp. The butterfly cannot fly until the wings have dried off. Once the wings have dried, the caterpillar to butterfly transformation is complete and the butterfly takes to the sky.
Find this and more caterpillar to butterfly coloring pages at Super Coloring.
Problem solving how I could spark their interest in this fun and engaging poem, I thought of the finger puppets I made of snowmen for a few winter poems. I designed the little fish and then turned to my talented husband to create a shark. I printed off a practice sheet to make sure they were the right size. My boys immediately gave their full attention to the little fish and shark as I cut them out. They could hardly wait for me to finish taping the puppets. They each chose one fish as their own and I was allowed to be the shark.
We spent the next 30 minutes playing with the finger puppets and repeating over and over the poem. Success! We took turns being the fish and or the shark. They loved it so much they brought it back out to show their sisters when they got home from school. These little finger puppets were the ticket to engage them! (This time, at least)
