Share stories with children that describe the life cycle of a butterfly. Select picture books with simple phrasing and lively, captivating illustrations. Some age-appropriate books to share with preschoolers are "A Very Magical Caterpillar Tale: The Story of the Butterfly Life Cycle" by Audrey M. Roy and "Waiting for Wings" by Lois Ehlert. Share the books with preschoolers during story time. Encourage children to discuss what they know about the life cycle of a butterfly and the new things they have learned.
Draw a spiral on a paper plate and then cut along the line. Draw a leaf, pupa, butterfly body and butterfly wings on construction paper and cut them out. Children can draw butterfly eggs on the leaf and decorate the pupa and butterfly wings using paint, glue, glitter, or any other embellishments. Help them glue the wings to the butterfly body. Staple the stages in the butterfly's life cycle to varying lengths of string and then staple the strings to the paper plate. Attach another string to the top of the paper plate and use it to hang the mobile.
Fold a piece of construction paper in half. On one half, cut three vertical slits, stopping at the fold to create four flip sections. Help children write the numbers 1 through 4 on each section. Provide each child with four pictures representing the stages of the butterfly's life cycle. Encourage them to put the life cycle stages in order by pasting the correct picture under the corresponding number. Once the flip book has dried, children can flip through the book regularly to review the lesson.
Purchase a live butterfly kit to allow children to directly observe the life cycle of a butterfly. Live butterfly kits usually contain several caterpillars and habitat with instructions. Children can observe these caterpillars as they transform into butterflies. Create a chart to enter the children's observations each day. Allow them to make predictions about how long it will take for the metamorphosis to the next stage of development.