Be Prepared: Use the provided pattern to cut simple butterfly shapes from bold-colored construction paper or felt.

Invite several toddlers to join you to play with pretend butterflies. Introduce one of the pretend butterflies and flutter it back and forth in front of you as if it were flying. Example: “We are going to have fun playing with pretend butterflies. Our butterflies are going to fly around. I am pretending my butterfly is flying. See how I help my butterfly to fly?” Give each toddler a pretend butterfly to hold. Provide time for toddlers to explore their butterflies. Then invite toddlers to help their butterfly fly like you are. Example: “Let’s all pretend that our butterflies are flying. You can help your butterfly fly like I am!” Describe toddlers’ actions. Examples: “Amani is moving her butterfly back and forth in the air just like I am. Amani’s butterfly is flying!” “We are moving our butterflies together. Our butterflies are flying!”

Announce that the butterflies are hungry and it is time for them to stop flying. We will stop flying our butterflies so they can eat. Draw attention to how you stopped moving your butterfly. Example: “I am not moving my butterfly. My butterfly stopped flying. My butterfly is eating. It is not flying.” Encourage toddlers to stop moving their butterflies and hold their butterflies still while they eat. “Let’s all stop moving our butterflies. Our butterflies will stop flying so they can eat.” Demonstrate holding your butterfly in the palm of your hand while it eats. Encourage toddlers to do the same.

Explain that the butterflies finished eating. Begin to move your butterfly again and encourage toddlers to do the same. After several moments of the butterflies flying, explain that the butterflies are getting sleepy. It is time for the butterflies to stop flying so they can sleep. Stop moving your butterfly and encourage toddlers to do the same. Example: “We stopped moving our butterflies. Our butterflies stopped flying. The butterflies are sleeping.” Again, demonstrate holding your butterfly in the palm of your hand while it sleeps. Encourage toddlers to do the same.

Conclude the activity by acknowledging toddlers’ efforts to move and stop moving their butterfly. Example: “We had fun playing with our pretend butterflies. We helped our butterflies fly. Then we made our butterflies stop flying. Now our butterflies are sleeping!”