Caroline
Kids of all ages will have a blast using our dragonfly craft template to make these easy paper dragonfly puppets.
What colors of dragonflies live in your part of the world? Head outside for some insect observation with children and then come back indoors to make a colorful dragonfly craft. These little puppets are so fun for kids to play with, preschoolers will want to make more than one!
How to Use our Dragonfly Craft Template to Create Paper Puppets
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Supplies Needed for Dragonfly Craft
- dragonfly craft template <—- Get the template HERE
- colored paper (24 lb.), color of your choice (for your dragonfly body)
- white paper
- paper straws (color of your choice)
- paper hole punch
- googly eyes (We received these self-adhesive ones from Oriental Trading and love them!)
- Elmer’s CraftBond extra strength glue stick
- scissors
Instructions for making paper Dragonfly Puppet
Step 1: Download and print out the dragonfly craft templates. We have a variation with the dragonfly body and wings on one page, or a variation with them on different pages to make it easier for classroom use.
You can either print out the template and use it a pattern to trace the pieces on colored paper, or print out the dragonfly wings and body on different colors of paper. Cut out each of the pieces of the template.
Step 2: The dragonfly body template has dashed lines to help as a guide for folding it with an accordion fold. Start at the bottom of the body in the square with the circle in the middle of it. Fold it backward along the dashed line. Then fold the body up and down again along the dashed lines in an accordion fold until you reach the final dashed line.
Don’t worry about the long end hanging off of the body right now. This is to create the dragonfly head in a later step.
Step 3: Use a hole punch to punch a hole on the circle of the dragonfly body while it is accordion folded.
Step 4: Feed the dragonfly body into your paper straw through all the holes of the accordion fold. The top of the body will hang off the straw quite a bit.
Related: Paper Butterfly Puppets
Step 5: Add glue on the underside and end of the long piece of paper hanging off the straw. Then curl it around into a circle and secure the end on the first accordion fold on the front of the dragonfly body to make the dragonfly head. See the pictures above as a guide.
Related: Insects Arts and Crafts Ideas
Step 6: Turn your dragonfly body face down. Flatten the first accordion fold on the body and add glue to the middle of it. Glue the dragonfly body down in the center of the wings.
Step 7: Add a googly eye on each side of the face of your dragonfly craft.
Your Dragonfly Craft is Complete
Now it’s time for play! Hold the bottom of the paper straw and have fun flying and fluttering your dragonflies around.
The light weight of the paper wings makes them actually move up and down, making this craft extra fun for kids!
Video Tutorial: How to Make Paper Dragonfly Puppets
Watch the video below for a step by step guide on how to make this simple dragonfly craft with our template.
Find more insect craft ideas and spring kids crafts by browsing the categories at the top menu bar of our website.
Hop into spring by making some of our fun and easy spring crafts for kids. Flower crafts, insect crafts, Easter, Earth Day and so much more…
Make sure to check out these darling butterfly puppets that make great companions to our paper dragonflies. You might also enjoy these ladybug finger puppets we shared on our friend’s website.
