How to Make a Caterpillar

A caterpillar is a cute, fuzzy creature that turns into a beautiful butterfly. Best of all, there are lots of ways to make them using supplies from around your home. Caterpillar crafts are a great, hands-on way to teach young children about them. While the children make their caterpillars, you can read to them about caterpillars, then hold a discussion afterwards.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making an Egg Carton Caterpillar

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1
Cut an egg carton in half lengthwise with scissors or a serrated knife. You will end up with two long rows of egg cups. Pick the one you want and set the other one aside. Be sure to tear off the lid and front flaps so that you have just the strip.^{[1]XResearch source}
- You can use any size egg carton you want. The more eggs it holds, the longer your caterpillar will be!
- A cardboard egg carton will work better than the foam kind because it is easier to paint.
2
Paint the outside of the carton with acrylic, poster, or tempera paint. Green is the most popular caterpillar color, but you can make yours any color you want. To make a "very hungry caterpillar," paint the first cup red for the head, then paint the rest green.^{[2]XResearch source} Let the paint dry before moving on.
- You can paint the inside of the carton, but you need to let the outside dry first.
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The holes need to be right next to the narrow edge. Use a pen, pencil, or skewer to poke the holes. It would be a good idea to ask an adult to help you with this step.
4
Poke a pipe cleaner up through the holes. Turn the carton so that you can see the inside. Stick each end of a pipe cleaner through one of the holes. Flip the carton over and tug on both ends of the pipe cleaner so that it's even.
- The pipe cleaner can be any color. Yellow will work the best, but you can use black too!
5
Secure, trim, and shape the antenna. Twist the antenna together once or twice, then spread them open in a V. Use scissors to cut the antenna shorter, then glue a mini pompom to the top of each one. You can use any color of pompom you want. Red would work well with yellow pipe cleaners!^{[3]XResearch source}
- Hot glue will work the best, but you can use tacky glue as well. Hold the pompoms in place for about 30 seconds to help them stick.
- If you don't have pompoms, curl the ends of the antenna with a pencil instead.
6
Add a face. Glue some googly eyes to the front of the first cup, just below the antenna. Hold them down for about 30 seconds. This will help them stick better.^{[4]XResearch source} Next, use a marker to draw on a mouth.
- If you can't find googly eyes, you can draw them on instead.
- For a girly caterpillar, add rosy cheeks and lashes.
- For a silly caterpillar, glue a small, red pompom to the middle of the face for the nose.
7
Decorate the caterpillar. Your caterpillar is done, but you can make it look more colorful and interesting by adding some details. Here are some ideas:
- Draw on the caterpillar with glitter glue.
- Paint some polka dots or stripes onto the caterpillar.
- Stick foam stickers onto the caterpillar.
- Add a bow to the top of the head.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making a Pompom Caterpillar

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1
Gather your pompoms. They are all the same color, or you can use different colors. You can have them all be the same size, or you can use one large pompom for the head.^{[5]XResearch source} To make a "very hungry caterpillar," try different shades of green for the body and a large red pompom for the head.
- For a regular caterpillar, use 7 pompoms.^{[6]XResearch source}
- For a puppet caterpillar, use 11 pompoms.^{[7]XResearch source}
2
Glue the pompoms together to make a rope. You can glue the pompoms together with hot glue or glue dots.^{[8]XResearch source} You can also use fabric glue or tacky glue, but you will need to wait for the glue to dry.
- An older child thread a needle with embroidery thread, then string the pom poms onto the thread. Be sure to knot the thread securely at both ends.^{[9]XResearch source}
You can use hot glue, tacky glue, or fabric glue. If you are using tacky glue, hold the eyes in place for about 30 seconds to help them stick. Let the glue dry before moving on.
4
Add some antenna. Cut two short pieces of pipe cleaner. Glue each piece to the top of the caterpillar's head. You can have them stick straight up, or make them angle outward like a V. Hot glue will work the best, but you can use fabric glue or tacky glue. Let the glue dry before moving on.
- An older child can thread a needle, then pull two short pieces of colored embroidery thread up through the bottom of the caterpillar's head.^{[10]XResearch source}
Cut two long pieces of fishing line. Tie one string to the third pompom and the other string to the seventh pompom. Next, tie both strings to a short stick or dowel. Tilt the stick up and down, like a seesaw, to make the caterpillar move.^{[11]XResearch source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Sock Caterpillar

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1
Get a colorful knee sock. It can be any color or pattern you want, but make sure that it's clean. Striped socks work the best for this! You can also use a crew sock instead for a smaller caterpillar. Don't use an ankle sock, though. It won't be long enough.
- Consider using a soft, fuzzy sock for a fluffy caterpillar.
If you can't find any, you can use cotton balls or scraps of yarn. You can also use six 3-inch (7.62-centimeter) Styrofoam balls. If you are using Styrofoam balls, you may not fit all of them into the sock. Don't try to cram them in.^{[12]XResearch source}
3
Tie the end of the sock with a rubber band or piece of yarn. If the sock was very long, you may still have some leftover. Cut the extra sock off so that you have a 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) stub.^{[13]XResearch source}
- If you are using Styrofoam balls, leave enough space in the sock so that the balls can wiggle.
You can also use pieces of colorful yarn instead. Plan on having about six segments. If you used Styrofoam balls, tie a rubber band/piece of yarn between each ball.^{[14]XResearch source}
Turn the sock caterpillar so that the toe part is facing you. Glue two googly eyes on top, right above the seam. Hot glue or tacky glue will work the best. You can also use a hot glue with an adult's help.
6
Add a face. You can use the seam on the toe part as a mouth. You can also draw your own mouth with a marker. If you want to, you can add some more details, such as rosy cheeks or eyelashes. For a silly caterpillar, glue a small pompom onto the face for the nose.
- For a rustic touch, use buttons instead of googly eyes. You can sew or glue them on.
The neck is the first joint behind the head. Find the middle of a pipe cleaner, then place it under the caterpillar. Wrap both ends around the neck, then twist them together once or twice.
Pull the antenna apart to make a V-shape. Curl each end downward with a pencil. You can also cut the antenna shorter and hot glue a mini pompom to the tips.
9
Decorate the caterpillar. You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Decorating the caterpillar will give it character and make it look more interesting. Here are some ideas:
- Draw designs with markers or puffy paint.
- Sew or glue buttons onto the caterpillar to make spots.
- Make a small bow out of ribbon and glue it onto the caterpillar's head.
- Glue a pompom onto the tail-end to help hide the stub.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Paper Caterpillar

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1
Cut an empty toilet paper roll into four rings. If you don't have any toilet paper rolls, cut a paper towel roll in half, and use that instead. If you don't have any rolls at all, do the following:
- Cut three 1½-inch (3.81-centimeter) wide strips out of green paper.
- Cut a 1½-inch (3.81-centimeter) wide strips out of red paper.
- Roll each strip into a ring.
- Secure each with a staple. Do not link or connect the rings.
2
Paint the inside and outside of each ring. You can use acrylic, poster, or tempera paint for this. To make a "very hungry caterpillar," you will need three green rings and one red ring.^{[15]XResearch source}
- If you made the rings out of green paper, skip this step.
3
Glue or staple the rings together side by side. Glue all of the rings together in a row with the side/curved edges touching. Glue the red ring to the end of the row to make the head. You will have something that looks like this: oooo.
- Keep the rings straight. If they are crooked, the caterpillar won't stand.
4
Add some eyes. You can draw the eyes one with a black marker, or you can glue on a pair of googly eyes. To make a "very hungry caterpillar, do the following:
- Cut two small ovals out of yellow paper.
- Cut two smaller ovals out of green paper.
- Glue the green ovals onto the yellow ovals to make the pupils.
- Glue the yellow ovals onto the caterpillar's head.
Use a black marker to draw a simple smile in the middle of the face, just below the eyes.
6
Cut and fold a pipe cleaner in half for the antenna. Cut a pipe cleaner in half first. Set one of the halves aside for another project. Fold the remaining half into a V-shape.^{[16]XResearch source}
- For a "very hungry caterpillar," use a purple pipe cleaner.
Fill the space between the red ring and the first green ring with glue. Set the antenna into the glue, pointy-side-down. Hold it there until the glue dries. If you can't wait that long, use a hot glue gun instead.^{[17]XResearch source}
Once the caterpillar is dry, you can stand it up on its side. If it keeps falling over, place some double-sided tape on the bottom, then stand it back up again. The tape will stick to your desk, and keep the caterpillar steady.

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Tips

Read caterpillar picture books aloud while the children craft, such as: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Clara Caterpillar, or Charlie the Caterpillar.^{[18]XResearch source}
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Cut a large fruit shape out of construction paper, then cut a hole in the middle for your caterpillar to fit through. Use it to tell the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar."^{[19]XResearch source}
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Read science books about caterpillars while the kids craft, then ask them questions to test how much they've learned.
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