13 Firefly Craft For Kids Fireflies are a magical sight, but they’re even more exciting when you create your own.
These crafts for kids will help you make your own firefly lanterns and finger puppets, as well as glow-in-the-dark popsicle stick art and more!
Handprint And Footprint Fireflies
- Paint handprints and footprints with glow-in-the-dark paint.
- Allow the prints to dry completely, then attach them to black construction paper using glue or tape
- Cut out wing shapes from orange construction paper, then attach a glow stick to each one using tape or glue
Easy Firefly Craft For Kids
The easy Firefly Craft for Kids is a great way for kids to create their own glowing bugs. The paint will glow in the dark, which makes it perfect for showing off at night!
- Use glow-in-the-dark paint
If you want your firefly to glow brightly at night, use regular white craft paint and add a few drops of glow-in-the-dark paint. Mix together until the color looks right, then carefully paint on your firefly’s body and wings. Allow drying completely before moving on to the next step.
- Use paint pens
Once dried, draw lines all over your bug using paint pens that work best on paper (like Sharpies). You can also choose different colors if desired or even make different-sized dots as eyes or wing spots!
- Use glow-in-the-dark markers
To make this easy craft even easier, try using ceramic glaze markers instead of regular ones! They’re much thinner than other brands so they’ll give you better details when drawing lines along legs or antennae without leaving behind an extra mess between strokes.
Popsicle Stick Fireflies
What You Need.
- Popsicle sticks (10 for each firefly)
- Craft glue or hot glue gun and gun sticks (hot glue is easier, but use craft glue if it’s all you have)
- Cardstock paper in light green and dark green colors (or any other colors of your choice) cut into small squares about 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches each
- Sharpie marker in black or brown color (if you use a permanent marker then skip the paint step below)
Mason Jar Firefly Craft
Collect all your materials and set them out so you can easily reach them. You’ll need.
A mason jar, with a lid that seals properly. You may want to test the seal by putting in a few drops of water or vinegar and sealing it; if there are bubbles forming around the edge of the lid,
you’ll want to use another jar or find some way to replace that lid (such as covering with duct tape). If you’re using wide-mouth jars, then feel free to skip this step! Just make sure they’re clean before you start painting—washing with soap and water is fine.
- Paintbrushes (one for each color)
- Watercolor paint in assorted colors (you can also use acrylics)
- Paper towels for cleanup
- To decorate your mason jar firefly craft.
First, decide where on your jar you’d like each firefly design; I recommend placing them about an inch from the bottom of each side so they appear near eye level when looked at from above. Then draw out roughly where those designs will go using pencil lines on parchment paper (or blue painter’s tape), making sure that each line is approximately 3 inches wide before laying down any paint! The wider these lines are, the easier it will be for kids of different ages who may not be able to hold their hands steady enough yet.”
DIY Firefly Lantern
This is a fun project for kids and adults alike, and it’s an easy way to light up a night. For this craft, you’ll need,
- Glow sticks (1 per lantern)
- A mason jar (or any other glass jar with a screw-on lid)
- String, ribbon or twine if desired
Instructions.
1. Break the glow stick in half, so that you have two smaller pieces of the plastic tube.
2. Fill your glass container about halfway with water and freeze solid.
3. When ready to use your lanterns, take them out of the freezer one at a time.
don’t try putting multiple ones in at once—and place them on top of each other until they form one long cylinder shape; tie off both ends using string or ribbon if desired so they don’t come apart while being used later on! 4.”
Simple Summer Mason Jar Firefly
- Start by painting your mason jar.
- Once it’s dry, attach a popsicle stick to the bottom of the mason jar with glue (this will be used as a handle).
- Glue on googly eyes or wiggle eyes—and you’re done!
DIY Mason Jar Firefly Craft
You’ll need
- Mason jar
- Glow sticks
- Glow in the dark paint, glow in the dark paintbrush, or glow in the dark paint pen (optional)
Paint your mason jar with glow-in-the-dark paint and allow it to dry. If you don’t have any glow-in-the-dark craft paint on hand,
you may substitute regular white acrylic or enamel craft paints and allow them to dry for several hours under artificial light or a sunny window before continuing with steps 2 and 3.
Glow in the Dark Mason Jar Fireflies
If you want to make glow-in-the-dark fireflies, there are several options. You can use glow-in-the-dark paint, but you’ll need to apply it with a paintbrush or a foam brush.
If your kids are younger and not quite old enough for a paintbrush, you can also use a glow-in-the-dark paint marker or pen. Kids love using these pens because they have really fine tips and are easy to hold.
If your child isn’t old enough to handle something as slippery as an adult pen, try getting them their own mini version of what you have instead!
If you’d rather go with something that doesn’t require any artistic skill at all — just mixing liquids together — then adding some glow powder (also called “glow in the dark pigment”) into some water is probably going to be your best bet here!
This allows them complete freedom over what shape/patterns they want their lights on; whether it’s dotted across an entire jar lid or stripes down one side of each jar top.”
Clay Pot Fireflies
You can make this craft with your toddler or preschooler, but it’s also great for older kids.
The first step is to gather the materials. You’ll need:
- A clay pot that has a lid (you can use any size)
- Yellow paint and paintbrush
- Green construction paper or other green material for wings
Sew a Firefly Puppet Craft
First, you’ll need the following materials.
- Black construction paper or cardstock
- Yellow tissue paper or thin cardboard
- Double-sided tape (or glue)
- Scissors (or a craft knife)
- Glue stick or white craft glue
Fingerprint firefly craft for kids
You will need.
- Fingerprint firefly craft for kids
- Craft paint
Paintbrush for each child to use, or a few if you’re doing this with friends. If you have more than one set of fingerprints to use as a model, you may want to buy another bottle of paint and another brush.
Give each child an empty bowl and their own brush (or brushes). Have them dip their brush into some white paint, then press their fingers onto the surface of the paper below and leave a print. Repeat with more colors until your sheet is filled with different shades of green, blue, yellow, and orange. Let dry overnight before using it again!
Paper Plate Fireflies
This is a fun and simple craft that kids will love making.
The fireflies are just as easy to hang around your home or room as they are to make! What you need.
Paper plate (1)
Marker (1)
Card stock paper (1 sheet) – optional, but adds durability and thickness to the plate if used with toddlers or preschoolers (link to cardstock here)
Yarn and Ribbon Firefly Craft
This is a simple craft, but one that can really make a big impact. You can use whatever you want to hang your yarn and ribbon fireflies, such as coat hooks or picture hangers.
If you’re looking for something more permanent, consider using wire to create a grid on which you can then hang all of your fireflies.
The great thing about this project is that it’s easy enough for kids over age four, but if they’re younger than that then they can help just by holding onto the end of the yarn while you wrap it around another piece of yarn.
This way they’ll still be involved in the process without having to do much work!
These Crafty Projects Are Perfect For Summer Nights!
Summer nights are the best time to do crafts and firefly watching, so why not combine the two? Firefly craft projects can be done with kids or adults, and they’re a great way to spend time with family.
Plus, this is the perfect time of year for it! Just imagine your little one’s face when they see their firefly lanterns glowing at twilight!
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To make these lanterns, you’ll need:
- a basket or bucket (or even a toilet paper roll)
- black tissue paper (enough to cover the container)
- black construction paper (to cut into shapes)
- glow stick firefly craft
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our collection of firefly crafts and activities. These projects will keep your kids busy this summer while they explore the world around them and make new friends. They’re also great for rainy days, and any time of year when you want to get creative with your kids! If you have any more fun ideas in mind, let us know in the comments below!
