Nature Art Bugs
If you’re looking for a fun, hands-on activity that gets your kids outside while sparking their imagination, you’re in the right place!
Combining our love for nature with a bit of creativity, this Leaf Bug craft is perfect for children of all ages.
Not only do they get to run around outside collecting leaves and twigs, but they also get to use their imagination to build their own little insects.
This gives them a reason to get outdoors and explore, and it’s also a great way to learn about the plants around them and each insect they create.
You can talk about the differences between a butterfly and a dragonfly or how many legs a spider has compared to an ant.
Plus, being in nature is known to reduce stress and improve your mood, so this craft is a win for both creativity and relaxation.
Besides that, we love a mess-free activity. So, we just focus on making one bug at a time and taking a picture!
No glue, no fuss, and you can keep creating over and over again.
In this post, I will show you how to make a butterfly, beetle, spider, grasshopper, ant, and dragonfly using natural findings!
And I’ve made it super simple with a printable guide that walks you through the process. You can get it at the end of this post.
While I’ve provided this guide, there’s plenty of room for your kids to make their insects truly unique and even make some bugs of their own!
Sounds fun?
Let’s get crafty!
Materials
- A variety of leaves (different sizes, shapes, and colors)
- Stems and small twigs
- Flowers (we used a dandelion for the ant)
- Scissors
- Table or any surface to use as the background
- Printable Leaf Bug Guide
How To Make Nature Art Bugs
- Go on a Nature Walk
Grab a box or a bag and head outside to collect all kinds of leaves, flowers, stems, grass, and twigs.
Encourage your kids to pick different sizes, shapes, and colors. The more variety, the more creative their insects will look.
When collecting leaves, look for ones that are not too dry because they’ll crumble easily.
- Set Up Your Craft Space
Once you’ve gathered your materials, lay everything out on a table.
You’ll also need your printable guide (which you can download and print at the bottom of this post) and scissors.
- Assemble Your Insects
Now, it’s time to get creative!
Using the printable guide, your child can follow the basic outlines for each insect.
While the guide offers ideas for specific insects, there’s no reason to stick to the rules!
Encourage your kids to mix and match leaves or invent their own creatures.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It’s all about having fun and using their imagination!
- Preserve Your Bugs
While you can use Mod Podge to glue everything in place, sometimes crafting can feel daunting when it involves glue.
It can get messy, pieces might not stick the way we want, and waiting for everything to dry can test anyone’s patience—especially kids who just want to see their creations come to life!
That’s why I suggest simplifying the process.
Instead of gluing everything down, why not just take a picture?
This way, your child gets the joy of designing without the mess and hassle of glue!
Plus, they can reuse their pieces and experiment with new designs over and over again.
Below, you can take a look at each of the bugs made with our guide.
I wanted to share these designs to show you all the possibilities, but remember that they are just ideas. You can always go off the book!
How To Make A Leaf Butterfly
1. Find four leaves that look alike and have similar sizes.
Place them in the shape of an X to create the wings.
2. Find a long, thin leaf and put it in the middle of the X to make the butterfly’s body.
You can use a twig as well.
3. Cut some stems to make the antennae.
How To Make A Leaf Beetle
1. Start by placing a big leaf on your table.
2. Find a smaller leaf of a different color and cut it in half.
Put each half on top of the big leaf to make the wings.
3. Cut another leaf into half a circle and place it on a side, on top of the wings, to make the head.
4. Cut stems, grass, or small twigs to make the legs and the antennae.
We used flower pistils.
5. Add little seeds or cut some leaves into tiny pieces to make the eyes.
How To Make A Leaf Ant
1. Place three diamond-shaped leaves in a slightly overlapping line to resemble the ant’s head, thorax, and abdomen.
We like to use the smallest leaf as the thorax and the biggest as the abdomen.
2. Cut four little pieces of stem for the legs or use grass.
3. Finally, use two pieces of stem for the antennae.
How To Make A Leaf Spider
1. Use a big leaf to make the body.
2. Use a flower for the head. We used a dandelion, but you can use any flower available.
If you can’t find flowers, cut another leaf into a round shape or try to find a tiny acorn.
3. Cut a stem to make the eight spider legs and add them around the body and head.
How To Make A Leaf Grasshopper
1. Start with a large leaf for the body.
2. Add a smaller leaf on top to make the head.
3. For the back legs, bend two stems in half and put one on top of the body and one right above it.
4. For the front legs, just cut two stems and put them in front of the body.
5. Use flower pistils or grass to make the antennae.
How To Make A Leaf Dragonfly
1. Use a twig to create the body of the dragonfly.
2. Add two large and thin leaves next to the top of the twig to create something similar to a T.
3. Add two more leaves leaning inwards to look like dragonfly wings.
4. Cut two small pieces of a stem and add them to the top of the body to create the antennae.
Get The Leaf Bug Printable Guide
As I told you above, to make everything easier, I’ve created a printable guide that outlines how to create each bug step by step.
It includes visual examples to help your child see how leaves and stems can be used to form the body parts of each insect.
If you’re interested, click the link below to download it.
GET THE LEAF BUG CRAFT PRINTABLE
*Please remember that these printables are for personal use only. You may not sell or distribute the files. If you want to share them, please link to this post and not directly to the PDF files.
Enjoyed making Insects with Leaves?
I’d love to see what your kids come out with!
Feel free to share their creations on Instagram by tagging @theprintablesfairy.
More Leaf Crafts
- Leaf Suncatcher Craft
- Coffee Filter Leaves
- Salt Painted Leaves
