Looking for a fun craft for kids to do at home? We love making these easy clothespin crafts to create coffee filter butterflies. It’s a simple kids’ craft with coffee filters, markers, and clothespins or pipe cleaners. All household supplies you most likely already have at home.
Your kids will have a blast doing this activity indoors or outdoors to keep them busy this spring and summer. Toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age kids can use their imagination to create their own beautiful butterflies at home or in the classroom. This classic craft is soon to be one of your kid’s favorites!
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Easy Coffee Filter Butterflies Kids Craft
If your looking for easy crafts this is it! Kids of all ages will enjoy creating these pretty spring crafts and you’ll love that it’s simple to do.
They’re the perfect art projects to do at home or in classrooms.
Kids will love looking at their beautiful coffee filter butterflies when their done and admiring each one’s unique butterfly wings. They’ll even get to practice their fine motor skills without even knowing it 🙂
What You Need
- Coffee Filters
- Washable Markers
- Spray Bottle, Eye Dropper
- Pipe Cleaner or Clothespin Clips
Substitutions
If you don’t have the items listed above here are some alternative options so you don’t have to run out to the store.
- If you don’t have a spray bottle or eye dropper you can use a cleaned-out old medicine dropper or a meat baster.
- If you don’t have clothespins or pipe cleaners use a popsicle stick for the center of the butterfly. You can just glue it into the middle of the coffee filter to create your butterfly wings.
How to Make a Coffee Filter Butterfly
This cute kids craft can be made in only a few steps as an inside or outside activity. Follow along to find out how to create your butterfly.
To keep the table clean I threw down a plastic table cloth I picked up at the dollar store for crafts. This way the marker doesn’t bleed through to your work surface. You could also decorate the filter in a throwaway pie tin.
Step #1 – Stack 2 round coffee filters together and smooth them out so they’re flat. I used white coffee filters but if you can find colored coffee filters that would be pretty too.
Step #2 – Use your markers to draw a pattern on each coffee filter. The colors will eventually blend with the water so don’t draw a picture just use dots and lines.

This will color the wings of the butterfly. Don’t forget to color the center of the coffee filter as it will be the area you scrunch together with the clothespin and it looks nice with some color.

Let the kids try different color combinations and see which butterfly design they like the best.
Tip: If your makers are new then you can color just the top coffee filter and let it bleed the color through to the bottom coffee filter
Step # 3 – Now it’s time to wet your coffee filters. Stack them back together and either gently spray them with a squirt bottle or use your dropper to add water. You don’t want your filter soaked just wet enough to let the marks bleed.
Related Article – Painting with Bubbles – Fun Bubble Art for Kids
Step #4 – Let your filters dry while stacked together. It will almost look like watercolor paints when you’re done.
Step #5 – Fold your filters like an accordion in a fan fold.
Related Article – Fun Outdoor Chalk Games for Kids
Step #6 – Wrap the middle of your accordion with a pipe cleaner or a clothespin. Make sure to bend the ends of the pipe cleaner for the antennae. Then gently open the sides so it looks like the wings of a butterfly. Now your beautiful coffee filter butterfly craft is ready.
If you only have a popsicle stick fold out the wings by using your pinched fingers to hold the middle of the butterfly. Then paste the popsicle stick down the middle.
Tip: You can decorate the clothespin with paint or markers to give your butterfly more color.
Isn’t that an easy kids’ craft? I hope your kids will enjoy making these clothespin coffee filter butterflies as much as mine have. It’s such a fun craft idea for the spring and summer months.
Cardboard Butterfly Craft
If your kids love butterflies be sure to try these cool cardboard butterfly craft ideas. Use up those Amazon boxes with this fun recycled craft project for kids. All you need is cardboard, tissue paper, and markers.
Find out how easy Cardboard Butterfly Crafts are to make.
If your kids like this craft they might also enjoy making easy Frozen Dinosaur Eggs, Painting with Bubbles, and creating cool Shadow Art with Chalk.
Need More Activities for Kids
At Happy Mom Hacks we have tons of Kids’ Activities for both indoors and outdoors to fend off hearing kids say the dreaded “I’m Bored”.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- 20 Fun & Easy Minute to Win It Games for Kids – Quick games the kids will find hilarious.
- 31 Days of Boredom Busting Indoor Games for Kids – Free Printable Activity Calendar with 31 Days of Activity Ideas.
- How to Make a Volcano at Home in 3 Easy Steps – Kids will be in awe watching a volcano explode in their own house. It’s easy to make too!
- Great Rainy Day Activities for Kids – Fun ways to keep the kids busy on rainy and snowy days at home.
- Scavenger Hunts for Kids – Free printable scavenger hunts for your local neighborhood, nature preserve, and Teen hunts
- I’m Bored Jar – Free printable activities to add to an I am Bored Jar. Kids can entertain themselves by pulling out new activities.
- Best Summer Water Toys for Kids in the Back Yard.
- Sidewalk Chalk Games for Kids – Fun games to stay busy on your driveway and sidewalk
If you enjoyed these kids’ activities get more family fun activities, easy weeknight meals, family travel ideas, and household hacks by joining the Happy Mom Hacks community weekly newsletter.
Bonus, you’ll get a Free Printable Daily Schedule for Kids to keep you organized and stress-free when they’re out of school this summer.
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