Learn how to make this tie-dye fun and easy coffee filter butterfly craft for kids of all ages! A perfect easy craft to try for springtime.

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This coffee filter butterfly is a fan favorite and is so much fun throughout Spring and throughout the year. The love of butterflies is not limited to one season for sure.

Have some springtime fun with these beautiful butterfly crafts using only a few supplies that you may already have at home!

Make this easy and fun coffee filter butterfly tie-dye craft with your kids! I love this activity and it's perfect for springtime. With just a few household supplies you probably already have at home your kids can make beautiful butterflies. They can play with them or hang and display their work!

Check out our hundreds of Animal Crafts and Animal Facts for added animal fun!

Coffee Filter Butterflies

This is one of my favorite fun crafts and art projects from when I was teaching in the classroom. My students loved making these butterflies so much! Now I love doing it at home with my sons. It's so simple but it feels like magic seeing the colors together make tie-dye. I enjoy it as much as my kids do!

Check Out These Other Butterfly Craft Ideas!

Supplies For Tie Dye Coffee Filters

Round Coffee Filters
Washable Markers
Clothespin
Pipe Cleaner (chenille stem)
Spray Bottle with water
Bin not necessary but helps prevent a work surface mess

How to Make a Tie Dye Coffee Filter Butterflies

Older kids can do this simple craft independently or with little supervision. For younger kids and toddlers, you'll need to help but they can do a lot of it on their own as well.

Start by drawing any designs on the top coffee filter side of a single filter. Use different colors and a variety of colors that complement each other. We love bright colors as they make colorful butterflies, but whatever you use they will be beautiful coffee filter butterflies.

Fill your spray bottle with water.

Spray it with a bit of water and make sure the whole design is sprayed. You do not need much water.
Set aside to fully dry.
Repeat the same steps on another filter. You can do the same design or a different one.

When both filters are dry, fold each piece accordion fold or a fan fold.

Use a pin to secure folded coffee filters in the middle of the coffee filter.

Adjust and open the filter to make them look like the wings of the butterfly. One coffee filter should be the top butterfly wings and the other the bottom wings. The key is to get them into a butterfly shape.

The last step is to add antennae using the pipe cleaner.

Curl at the ends of the pipe cleaner slightly.

I love this classic butterfly craft so much because it reminds me of my childhood. It's such a classic kid's craft and I know your kids will love making it too! Plus, it's magical to see the marker design turn into a tie dye when the water hits it.

This fun craft is so easy that they can make dozens of gorgeous butterflies and turn them into a garland to hang in their room or to decorate for Spring.

Alternative Ways to Make Adorable Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft

There are many different ways to make these super cute coffee filter butterflies in case you are missing any of the supplies listest above. The key to any fun craft idea is FUN and not worry about whether or not you have that supply or not.

We get asked all the time "What if I don't have...". Do not fear, here are some alternatives to use in case you are missing something.

Coffee Filters - If you do not have coffee filters, you can also use paper towels. You may want to cut them into circles before decorating.
Washable Markers - If you do not have washable markers, any markers will work, or even food coloring or watercolor paints.
Clothespin - If you do not have a clothespin, simply wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle to sinch together.
Pipe Cleaner - In the case, you do have a pipe cleaner, you can use a thin strip of paper that the kids can roll the ends using a pencil.
Spray Bottle - If you do not have a spray bottle you can use an eye dropper and simply drop water on a few different spots throughout the filter.
Bin - Again, this is so not necessary, but it's nice to contain the mess. You can also use a cookie sheet and or a sheet of wax paper. Anything to make sure the tie dye portion and the drying process are not all over the place.

We highlighted this Great Spring Craft along with some other fun kid's crafts in our April Crafts along with our Easy Craft Ideas for kids.

You also do not want to miss our 101+ Printable Coloring Pages For Kids and 101+ Printables For Kids full of Crafts and Coloring Pages.

Spring Crafts

Here are other Spring crafts that you might enjoy.

Coffee Filter Butterfly

Learn how to make this tie-dye easy and fun coffee filter butterfly craft for kids of all ages! A perfect easy craft to try for Spring time.

Course Kids Crafts

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Author Alli Ward

Equipment

Spray Bottle with water
Bin - not necessary but helps prevent mess

Ingredients

Coffee filter
Washable Markers
Clothespin
Pipe Cleaner chenille stem

Instructions

Start by drawing any designs on one side of a single coffee filter. Use a few different colors that complement each other.
Fill your spray bottle with water.
Spray it with a bit of water and make sure the whole design is sprayed. Set aside to fully dry. Repeat the same steps on another filter. You can do the same design or a different one.
When both filters are dry, fold each piece accordion style.
Use a pin to secure it in the middle.
.Adjust and open the filter to make it look like butterfly wings.
The last step is to add antennae using the pipe cleaner.
Curl at the ends slightly.