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Explore · Wild and Tumble activity

Butterfly spotting

Flutter, land, open, close. Find a sunny spot and see how many butterflies visit.

  • 20 min total
  • Low mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Outdoors
  • Summer
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 2 min to prepare · 16 min to watch · 2 min to head in. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A sunny spot near flowers, especially lavender or buddleia
  • A picture guide on your phone, optional

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Sit quietly near some flowers on a warm day.

  2. Watch for butterflies landing.

  3. What colour are they? Spots or stripes?

  4. Copy them. Open and close your arms like wings.

  5. Look under leaves for caterpillars too.

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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