Dragonfly Printable Craft (Free Cut and Paste Template)
Make a smiling paper dragonfly with colorful wings and a curled body! This free dragonfly printable craft is a flat cut-and-paste activity with a precolored version and a version kids can color themselves.
The pieces print together on one sheet for each version, making this an easy craft to set out for a bug theme or spring art session. Kids can copy the small finished example or choose an entirely different color combination.
For a different construction project, our 3D paper dragonfly craft uses rolled paper sections and layered wings.
Make a wall of colorful wings for a spring bug theme, with each child choosing a different pattern. Set a cut-and-paste snail beneath the wings and a paper duck on blue paper to make a layered pond picture. Browse our spring crafts for kids for more seasonal projects.
Why You’ll Love This Dragonfly Craft
- Two ways to make it: Pick the ready-colored pieces or let kids decorate the coloring version.
- Everyday materials: Paper, scissors, and glue are the essentials.
- A picture to follow: A small assembled dragonfly on the sheet helps children work out where the pieces go.
- Room to practice: Cutting, placing, and joining the shapes gives the activity a clear sequence to follow.
What’s Included
The printable comes in two versions of the same design. The precolored dragonfly is bright green with pale blue wings and a pink smile. On the coloring version, the large craft pieces are uncolored, while the little completed example is still in color.
The sheet includes a round head, separate eyes, small antenna pieces, a body with legs, a curved tail section, and a wing piece with printed vein details. Dashed guides mark the outside cutting edges. Each version contains the pieces for one dragonfly, so choose one version per child.
Materials
- Dragonfly printable template: Choose the precolored or coloring version.
- White paper or lightweight cardstock: Paper works well on a background; cardstock gives a loose cutout more support.
- Scissors: Use a pair suited to your child’s cutting skills, with adult help for small details.
- Glue stick: Apply small amounts at the joins.
- Crayons or colored pencils: For the coloring version.
- Optional background paper: Use it to hold the pieces in place and create a scene.
How to Make the Dragonfly Cut and Paste Craft
Start with printing and coloring. Print the version you want. If you chose the coloring sheet, decorate the pieces while they are still on the page. Then cut around the dashed outside guides and keep the small pieces together in a dish or tray.
- Place the body with its printed legs pointing down. Fit the curved tail section to the back, following the small dragonfly picture.
- Position the wing piece behind the body so the large wings remain visible above it. Keep the wing sections together along the outside cutting guide.
- Attach the antenna pieces behind the top of the head. Glue the separate eyes above the printed smile.
- Overlap the head at the front of the body and glue the remaining joins. Let the dragonfly dry flat, then add it to a sky or pond background.
Top Tips
Cut around the outside of the wing piece rather than along the printed vein lines. Leave a little white space around the smallest leg details if close cutting is frustrating.
Lay the wing piece behind the body before attaching the head. Children can point out the wing sections and trace the printed lines with a finger before choosing their colors.
Ways to Use the Finished Craft
Let kids design a wing color pattern and explain their choices. Add a craft stick to the back of a cardstock version for storytelling, or arrange several finished dragonflies across a classroom display.
For more insect-inspired and garden craft ideas, explore our bug crafts.
Printing Tips
Print in portrait orientation and check the preview before printing. Use “Fit” if any parts are being clipped, and keep the page proportions unchanged. Print a single test sheet before making copies for a group.
Choose color printing for the precolored version. Grayscale works for the coloring version; the small colored example will appear in shades of gray. Use the same print settings for all pieces so they stay in proportion.
Grab the Printable
Grab the dragonfly printable craft here!
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Choose your favorite version and get ready to build a paper dragonfly. For more simple projects to keep on hand, browse our easy crafts for kids.
