Bugs are beautiful, especially these colorful polka-dot bugs! This craft is simple to make but looks really great, and you can decorate them anyway you like. We’ve decorated our bugs with polka dots so we can practice counting too! With the folds on the bug’s body, little ones have three options to count a different number of polka dots. You can also decorate each fold a different way, so your bug can have a few different looks. Try it out for yourself and make some beautiful bugs!
Things you’ll need
- colored construction paper – any color for your bug, green for your leaves, and a small piece of black for the heads and legs
- scissors
- googly eyes
- markers
- glue stick
To make the body, fold a piece of construction paper in half, then open it back up and cut on the folded line.
Then take the two pieces and fold them in half again. You can fold lengthwise for a long bug body, or fold widthwise for a wide shaped bug. Then insert the two folded pieces into one another, like pages in a book. On the top side of your folded paper draw a half circle, oval or rectangular shape, depending on what shape you want for your bug body, starting and finishing at the folded edge. The folded edge will be the centre of your bug.
Cut along the drawn line through all four layers of paper at the same time.
Open up the cut pieces and you should have two identical shapes. Refold along the crease and place the two halves next to each other with the two creases touching.
From black construction paper cut out the bug’s legs and a shape for the head.
Glue the legs under each body piece, and glue the head to both pieces by holding the two pieces together. Glue the eyes onto the top of your bug’s head.
To make the leaf that the bug will sit on, fold a sheet of green construction paper lengthwise in half and draw half of a leaf shape starting from the folded edge.
Cut out the shape and open to reveal the symmetrical leaf! You can try all kinds of different shapes.
Then glue the underside of your bug to the leaf.
Use markers decorate your bug! We created colourful dot patterns, and then practiced counting the dots!
We hope you enjoy your new beautiful bug friends! For more fun songs and activities about bugs, and to watch Caitie make this craft in the classroom, watch our episode of Caitie’s Classroom all about Beautiful Bugs!
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This post accompanies a video from Caitie’s Classroom. Join Caitie in the classroom for kids songs, games, activities, stories, crafts, and much more! Catch up on past episodes and segments, follow Caitie on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to Super Simple Play so you never miss an episode. Don’t forget to ring the bell for notifications!
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