[Childcare] Recommended for Autumn! Dragonfly Craft Ideas
Dragonflies, which can be called a symbol of autumn, are one of the insects children know well, with children’s songs like “Red Dragonfly” and “Dragonfly Glasses” that feature them.
In this article, we introduce craft ideas featuring dragonflies.
We’ve gathered a variety of ideas: paintings that work as wall decorations, toys you can play with after making them, and items that let kids pretend to be dragonflies.
All are toddler-friendly ideas useful for early childhood education, so be sure to use them during your autumn craft time.
- September: Autumn crafts! Ideas you can use in childcare
- [October] Craft ideas for fall you can use in childcare
- [Childcare] Autumn craft ideas
- [Autumn Activities] Nature Play and Craft Ideas for Fall to Incorporate into Childcare!
- Preschool: Autumn-Themed Craft Ideas Recommended for November
- [Childcare] November wall decorations and autumn craft ideas
- [Childcare] For 5-year-olds! Autumn craft ideas
- [Preschool] Recommended for 3-year-olds! Easy-to-make fall origami craft ideas
- Get kids excited for September! A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn events and activities
- Preschool: Ladybug Craft Ideas
- [Crafts for 3-Year-Olds] A Collection of Fun Ideas for Autumn! Let's Incorporate Seasonal Motifs
- Get kids excited in November! A collection of play and craft ideas using autumn’s natural treasures
- Craft ideas for 4-year-olds to try in autumn! Enjoy creative activities with seasonal motifs and events.
[Childcare] Recommended for autumn! Dragonfly craft ideas (1–10)
Red dragonfly made from a toilet paper roll
Let’s make a dragonfly using a toilet paper roll! First, cover the toilet paper roll with red origami paper.
Then attach the two pre-cut wings on top in a cross shape.
Finally, glue on round paper circles with eyes drawn on them, and you’re done.
Since there are only a few steps, children aged 4 or 5 who can use scissors well should be able to try it on their own.
For 2- and 3-year-olds, it’s best to pre-cut the wings and eyes and have them do the gluing.
Once it’s finished, put your finger inside the toilet paper roll and try flying your dragonfly!
A stylish dragonfly with transparent wings
Here’s a craft idea for making a dragonfly with beautiful transparent wings.
First, cover a tube with brown origami paper, then cut a clear file into wing shapes.
Clear files are a bit stiff, but children aged 4–5 who are comfortable using scissors might be able to do this on their own.
After cutting out the wings, decorate them with permanent markers or stickers, and then attach them to the tube.
Finally, add the eyes to complete the dragonfly.
In addition to permanent markers and stickers, using holographic origami paper will make the wings even more sparkly, which I highly recommend.
origami dragonfly
Let’s make a cute dragonfly out of origami.
You can make one dragonfly using two sheets of origami paper.
Use the first sheet to make the body.
Cut the second sheet in half diagonally to make two triangles, and use those to create the wings.
Both parts require only about five folds, so it’s perfect for practicing origami.
Once the body and wings are folded, glue them together and attach the eyes you made separately.
You can cut white construction paper into circles and draw the eyes with crayons, or make the pupils out of paper as well—either way is fine.
Try making lots in different colors and use them for a wall display.
[Childcare] Recommended for Autumn! Dragonfly Craft Ideas (11–20)
Dragonflies made with wet-on-wet painting
How about an idea for making dragonflies using wet-on-wet painting? Wet-on-wet painting is done by wetting drawing paper with water and letting watercolor paints bleed.
You can use any colors you like, but if you want an autumn feel, red, yellow, and orange work well.
Once the paint dries, cut out wing shapes with scissors, then attach them along with eyes to a straw that will be the body, and you’re done.
If you gently move the straw up and down, the wings will flutter beautifully.
Display them on a wall, and you can create a lively swarm of colorful dragonflies.
Dragonfly made with finger painting
Here’s a dragonfly craft idea using finger painting, where you apply paint with your hands and fingers.
First, use your hands or fingers to dab and spread paint freely onto construction paper.
Once the paint dries, cut out wing shapes with scissors and attach them to a body made from construction paper.
Finally, glue two small round pieces of paper onto the head and draw swirly eyes with crayons to finish.
You’ll get unique dragonflies that showcase each child’s creativity.
If an adult handles the cutting, even two-year-olds can take part—perfect for an autumn craft activity.
Colorful Dragonflies Made with a Paint Roller
This is a way to make dragonflies with a focus on design.
Have parents or guardians prepare plenty of dragonfly shapes by cutting them out.
Use a paint roller to add colorful paint to the white dragonfly shapes.
It’s fine if the dragonflies don’t look like real ones.
If you make a variety of dragonflies and stick them all over the walls or windows, they’ll make wonderful decor.
For the eyes, attach round stickers or paper circles and draw in any expressions you like.
It’s more fun to have a range of different expressions, too.
A 3D dragonfly in a cosmos flower field
Here, we’ll show you how to make a three-dimensional painting featuring dragonflies and cosmos flowers.
Since drawing each cosmos flower one by one is a lot of work, we’ll make a stamp using a plastic bottle.
After stamping with a few different colors, paint the centers with yellow paint.
Next, we’ll make the dragonflies.
Tie two ribbons onto a chopstick with simple overhand knots, then draw the head and eyes on round stickers—your dragonfly is complete.
Attach it wherever you like with glue.
By changing the ribbon colors, you can create dragonflies in a variety of colors.