The Life of a Butterfly
The Life of a Butterfly: a free 4-scene sequencing and coloring worksheet for ages 4–7, with picture clues, answers and a storytelling question.
- 👶 Age
- Ages 4–7
- ⭐ Difficulty
- Medium
- ⏱️ Time
- 10–20 minutes
- 🔢 Collection
- Sequence & Color
- 🎯 Theme
- The Life of a Butterfly
About this activity
Eggs, a caterpillar, a chrysalis and a butterfly show four stages of one life cycle. For this worksheet, begin with the eggs and end with the adult butterfly.
Skills this page builds
- Putting events in orderThe caterpillar comes from an egg; the closed chrysalis comes before the winged adult.
- Noticing changesCompare the same objects at different stages instead of guessing from their position on the page.
- Telling a short storyLink the pictures with first, next and finally while explaining your choices.
How to do this activity
- Print the sheet. Look at all 4 pictures and describe what is different in each one.
- Find the beginning, then decide what happens next and last. Use the changes in the pictures as clues.
- Write 1 to 4 in the empty boxes to show the time order. A younger child can point to the pictures while an adult writes.
- Open the answers below when you are ready to check. Explain your choices together.
- Color the pictures and tell the story using first, next and finally.
Tips for parents and teachers
- After checking the order, explain that the adult can lay eggs and the cycle begins again. The first box is a chosen starting point in a repeating cycle.
- For a first try, identify the beginning and ending together, then place the middle scene or scenes.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to cut out the pictures?
No. The empty boxes let children number the pictures on the sheet. Pointing and explaining also works without scissors or writing.
Do the printed positions show the answer?
No. The pictures are deliberately mixed up. The number in each box records when that scene happens, not its position on the paper.
Tell the story together
Which stage has wings, and which stage crawls on a leaf?
Answers for parents and teachers
Numbers to write in the boxes, reading left to right across the top row, then the bottom row:
3 · 4 · 1 · 2
The story in time order
- The butterfly lays eggs on a leaf.
- A caterpillar hatches and grows.
- The caterpillar becomes a chrysalis.
- An adult butterfly emerges.
The caterpillar comes from an egg; the closed chrysalis comes before the winged adult.