Learning about the different stages of a butterfly's life cycle is a magical experience for kids. These caterpillar coloring pages are a fun way to integrate art into a butterfly unit study!
There is no denying that caterpillars are often over looked in favor of the beautiful butterfly or moth.
Flying through the air while they visit different flowers, it is hard to miss butterflies.
Caterpillars on the other hand, are often harder to spot as they blend in with their surroundings.
If you have ever spotted a tomato hornworm, which is technically a caterpillar then you know what I am talking about. Even at five inches long they blend right in with your tomato plants!
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Even the brightly colored monarch caterpillars with their famous black, white, and yellow stripes can go unnoticed until they are large enough to form a chrysalis.
If you get a chance to spot a little caterpillar in real life, you will see that these insects are fascinating.
Although they all start off as a tiny little egg, some grow very large it a short period of time.
Read on to download your copies of the free printable coloring pages and to learn more about these amazing insects.
How to Print
- Click the button below the image to bring up a PDF version
- Each design fits a standard 8 ½ by 11 inch peice of paper
To make your own coloring book combine these pages with our other nature designs. Favorite's include:
Caterpillars Coloring Pages
Adult caterpillars will lay eggs on a host plant. For Monarch's this is the milkweed plant. Once the caterpillars hatch they will begin eating the leaves from that plant.
Believe it or not, but like all insects, caterpillars have six legs. They also have several pairs of little legs called prolegs on their abdomen (source).
If you have ever picked up a caterpillar, you have seen all of these little legs on their underside. These legs let them stick to leaves and stems as they eat.
Before turning into a butterfly or moth, a caterpillar prepares for the transformation. Monarch butterflies will attach themselves to a surface and hang down making a J-shape.
Hanging upside down in the image below, the caterpillar is preparing to turn into that classic shape. Then it will turn into a pupa.
During the pupa stage, a butterfly will morph into a butterfly. All of the changes happen inside of the chrysalis.
Young children will enjoy coloring in the sheet below when learning about the life cycle of a butterfly.
After around 8-10 days a Monarch will emerge from the green chrysalis (source). It truly is an amazing transformation!
Butterfly Learning Resources
Learning about butterflies and moths are so much fun for kids of all ages. Children in preK through elementary school are fascinated with these beautiful insects.
Reader Favorite: Free My Butterfly Observation Journal
What better way to capture their interest than to do a caterpillar and butterfly unit study!
All of these resources described below are perfect for children in preschool, kindergarden, and elementary school.
Butterfly Coloring
Pair these sheets with a few butterfly coloring pages. Images include monarch butterflies and a butterfly garden.
Life Cycle Printables and Worksheets
Great printable life cycle of a butterfly activities to go along with these coloring sheets. Free printable sorting cards, a simple life cycle worksheet, and a graphic organizer.
Plus step by step directions explaining how to use them all with your kids!
Books about Caterpillars
Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar is an all time favorite, but there are so many wonderful books about these insects. There is even a coloring book version to go along with the story.
Check out the book list for educational books about caterpillars, butterflies, and moths.
Additional Coloring Pages
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Terms of Use
These printables were created by Nature Inspired Learning and are for personal use only in your home, classroom, or public library. All of these free printable caterpillar coloring pages are for non-commercial use. See full disclosure. Have questions, send me an email at julie (at) natureinspiredlearning (dot) com
Mariana
We are going to get so creative with these! Time for the very hungry caterpillar!
Julie
We love caterpillars in this household. In fact, I grew Milkweed, parsley, and dill specifically so we'd be able to feed monarchs and swallowtails in their caterpillar stage.
Julie
Wonderful! I keep a patch of milkweed growing in our garden as well...its so much fun to head outside and explore butterflies in your own yard
Emily
These are so cute! My kids will love them. 🙂
Sheri
We study butterflies every fall when we keep monarch caterpillars and watch them form their chrysalis. This will be a great resource to use along with our study! Thanks for sharing!
Julie
What a wonderful activity to do with your kids!
Genevieve
These are so cute! Great job! Thanks for sharing.
Julie
Thank you, Enjoy!