Kid's activities

Sponge Painted Caterpillar

Posted on by Claire
Updated on
Colorful sponge painted caterpillar craft on light green paper with purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow sponge print circles forming the caterpillar body. The yellow circle has a smiling face and black antennae, and the center text reads “SPONGE PAINTED CATERPILLAR”.
11
May

This colorful sponge painted caterpillar craft is a fun and easy bug themed activity for kids. Using simple supplies like paint, sponges, and paper, children can create a bright caterpillar while exploring colors, textures, and fine motor skills. It is a playful spring or preschool art project that works well for toddlers, preschoolers, and early years learning activities. Find more crafts for kids here.

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Supplies need to create your own sponge painted caterpillar

This bug art project uses really simple craft supplies that I bet you already have in your craft cupboard.

You will need:

  • Sponge
  • Scissors
  • Washable paint (multiple colors)
  • Paper or cardstock
  • Paint tray or paper plate
  • Marker or paint pen
  • Paper towels or wipes for cleanup
Supplies for a sponge painted caterpillar craft including colorful paint on a green tray, scissors, a blue sponge, black marker, and light green paper laid out on a white table. Purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow paint are arranged for making the sponge painted caterpillar art activity.
Sponge painted caterpillar craft made with purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow paint prints on light green paper. The yellow caterpillar head has a smiling face and black antennae, while paint covered sponges and a tray are visible in the background.
Yield: 1

Sponge painted caterpillar

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy

This sponge painted caterpillar is the perfect piece of bug art to create with preschoolers,

No Ratings

Materials

  • Washable paint (multiple colors)
  • Paper or cardstock
  • Marker or paint pen

Tools

  • Sponge
  • Scissors
  • Paint tray or paper plate
  • Paper towels or wipes for cleanup

Instructions

    1. Start by cutting a sponge into a circle. You will need to cut as many circles as you have different colored paints. Blue sponge cut into a circle shape beside scissors, green paper, and paint on a tray for a sponge painted caterpillar craft. Red and orange paint are visible on the tray as supplies are prepared for the caterpillar art activity.
    2. Dip the sponge into the paint color of your choice, making sure it is evenly coated.Hand holding a round sponge covered in bright yellow paint above green paper for a sponge painted caterpillar craft. The textured sponge is ready to stamp paint circles for the caterpillar art activity.
    3. Press the sponge onto paper to make a circle. Make sure you lift it straight up to keep the edges neat.
    4. Repeat the process, stamping circles in a row, using different sponges in different colors, to form the caterpillar’s body.Colorful paint circles stamped onto light green paper to create the body of a sponge painted caterpillar craft. Purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow sponge prints appear beside a paint tray and sponge used for the bug themed activity.
    5. Allow the paint to dry.
    6. Once the paint is dry. Draw a face on the front circle using a marker or paint pen. Close up of a sponge painted caterpillar head with a smiling face and black antennae on light green paper. The yellow sponge print sits beside orange and blue paint circles as part of the colorful caterpillar craft.
    7. Add small legs under each circle to finish your caterpillar. Close up of a sponge painted caterpillar body made with purple, red, blue, and orange paint circles on light green paper. Small black legs are drawn beneath each colorful sponge print to complete the caterpillar craft.
© Claire
Project Type: craft / Category: Kid's activities
Finished sponge painted caterpillar craft on light green paper with purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow sponge print circles forming the caterpillar body. The yellow head has a smiling face and black antennae, with paint covered sponges and a paint tray placed beside the colorful bug themed activity.
Collage of a colorful sponge painted caterpillar craft made with purple, red, blue, orange, and yellow sponge prints on light green paper. The smiling yellow caterpillar head appears in multiple close up photos, and the text reads “BUG THEME SPONGE PAINTED Caterpillar” and “THELADYBIRDSADVENTURES.CO.UK”.

More bug activities for kids

You can continue the bug themed activities with these ideas:

Learn how caterpillars become butterflies with this adorable butterfly lifecycle sensory bin

Find a full guide to all my bug activities for preschool here.

Create your own butterfly with this simple craft – butterfly watercolor craft

Or you might like to read some caterpillar themed books:

The very hungry caterpillar by Eric Carle. This book is a classic for a reason and a great place to start teaching children about the butterfly life cycle.

How Does a Caterpillar Change? From the World of Eric Carle, this book has all the same graphics as the main story but this one focuses on the butterfly life cycle and that the caterpillar eats leaves (not all the fun food in the original story.

The Crunching Munching Caterpillar This is a cute story about a caterpillar who wants to be able to fly like bee. All he can do is eat his way through the blackberry bush. The illustrations are bold and bright too.

Claire

Claire is a mum to two girls who love spending time outdoors on family walks, days out and camping trips in their family campervan. Find out more about us here

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