What is on this coloring sheet
Both wings on this butterfly carry the same pattern, because the grid is drawn as a mirror image down the middle. That is the point of the picture as much as the coloring is: a child who notices that the square three along on the left has a twin three along on the right has spotted symmetry without anyone using the word. The body and antennae run down the centre line in brown, the wings are orange with a yellow spot inside each one, and everything else is sky.
How to use it
Print the sheet and set out four crayons to match the key. Color every square marked 4 first so the sky goes in around the wings, then fill the wings, the spots and the body.
Three ways to practice
Color one number at a time
Ask for every square marked 1 before any square marked 2. It is faster, it stops a child losing their place in the grid, and the picture stays hidden until near the end, which is the part they remember.
Find the matching square
Point at a colored square on the left wing and ask which square on the right wing matches it. Counting in from the edge on both sides is an early lesson in symmetry and a genuine puzzle for a five year old.
Count before you color
Before starting, ask how many squares carry the number 2. Counting them means scanning the whole grid row by row, which is the same left to right sweep reading needs.
A tip worth knowing
Match the wings as you go. Coloring the left wing and then the matching square on the right teaches a child to read the picture as two halves that mirror each other.
Printing this sheet
Frequently asked questions
What age is this butterfly sheet for?
It suits kindergarten through second grade. Younger children can color it with an adult naming the numbers, and by second grade most work through it alone. The squares are sized so a crayon held in a fist still stays inside the lines.
Does it need four specific colors?
No. The key names orange, yellow, brown and sky blue because those make a butterfly, but any four colors a child can tell apart will work. The picture comes from where the colors sit, not from which colors they are.
Why do the wings look the same on both sides?
The grid is drawn as a mirror image about its centre column, the way a real butterfly is built. It makes the finished sheet look right, and it gives you something to talk about while your child colors.