Life Cycle of a Butterfly Worksheet

This life cycle of a butterfly worksheet generator makes free printable worksheets about how a butterfly grows from egg to adult. It runs in your web browser, requires no sign-up, and nothing you make is uploaded or sent to a server.

You tick the activities you want, and the printable pages update live as you choose. The butterfly topic supports a cut and paste activity for the stages, fill-in-the-blanks, vocabulary matching, a labeled diagram, a labeled picture to color, short answer questions, and draw and label. The sheets cover the four stages of the cycle (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly) and ten key vocabulary words, so students practice both the order of the stages and the terms that describe them.

How to make a butterfly life cycle worksheet

1. The page opens on the butterfly. The Worksheet menu switches to the plant, frog or chicken life cycle if you need one of those instead.
2. Tick the activities you want. The default is Put the stages in order (cut and paste), Fill in the blanks, and Vocabulary matching. You can also tick Label the diagram, Labeled picture to color, Short answer questions, or Draw and label.
3. For the stage activity, choose either Cut and paste or Number the stages.
4. Set the options: Word bank on or off (off makes the sheet harder), Color pictures on or off, Name and date line, Worksheet title, Items per activity (4, 6, 8, 10 or 12), and Paper size (US Letter or A4).
5. Turn on Answer key pages if you need the answers.
6. Check the pages on the right. They update as you change the settings.
7. Click Download PDF to save a file, or Print to open the print dialog with only the worksheet pages.

Use New version to shuffle the word bank, matching letters and order, so each class or student gets a different sheet. Copy link saves a link that reopens the same worksheet, including the version you chose.

What are the 4 stages of a butterfly life cycle?

A butterfly’s life cycle has four stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa), and adult butterfly. The stages form a circle, and the adult lays eggs that start the cycle again.

The adult butterfly lays tiny eggs on a leaf of a plant the caterpillar can eat. The caterpillar hatches from the egg and eats leaves. It grows quickly and molts, which means it sheds its skin several times as it grows.

When the caterpillar is fully grown, it hangs from a twig and forms a chrysalis. This is the pupa stage. Inside the chrysalis, its body changes into a butterfly. The adult then drinks nectar through a long tube called a proboscis. Students can match each picture to its stage in order, which is the core skill of the cut and paste activity.

What is the difference between a chrysalis and a cocoon?

A chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly. A cocoon is a silk case that many moth caterpillars spin around their pupa. Butterflies form a chrysalis, and moths usually form a cocoon.

This difference matters on the worksheet. If a student writes “cocoon” in the blank for the pupa stage of a butterfly, the answer is incorrect. The vocabulary list uses “chrysalis” for the butterfly, so students should learn that word first and then compare it with “cocoon” when they study moths.

What is complete metamorphosis?

Butterflies go through complete metamorphosis: four stages that look completely different from each other (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Some insects, such as grasshoppers, have incomplete metamorphosis instead: the young look like small adults without wings and grow up in three stages (egg, nymph, adult).

The diagram on the worksheet also labels two parts of the adult butterfly, the antenna and the wing, so students can name them while they color the picture.

Frequently asked questions

Can kindergarten use this butterfly life cycle worksheet?

Yes, the sheets can be used with kindergarten students. The cut and paste option works well for young children because they cut out picture cards and glue them in order. Keep the word bank on, set Items per activity to 4, and turn on Color pictures to make the page easier to follow.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Turn on Answer key pages to add pages with every answer filled in. The answers are shown in blue, so you can separate them from the student pages.

What is metamorphosis?

Metamorphosis is the complete change in body form that happens between the larva and the adult. In a butterfly, the caterpillar changes inside the chrysalis into a butterfly with wings. The word is listed in the vocabulary activity, so students can match it to its meaning.

Do I need to sign up or pay to make a worksheet?

No. The generator is free and needs no sign-up. It runs in your browser, and nothing you create is uploaded or sent to a server.

Can I make a different version for each student?

Yes. Click New version to shuffle the word bank, matching letters and order. Each version is kept in the link, so you can share the exact sheet you chose.

Why does a caterpillar molt?

A caterpillar grows fast, but its skin does not stretch. When the old skin gets too tight, the caterpillar sheds it and a new, bigger skin is underneath. This is called molting, and it happens several times before the chrysalis stage. Molting is one of the vocabulary words on the sheet.

Related tools

• Plant life cycle worksheet: Use it to teach the stages of a plant’s life cycle after the butterfly.
• Life cycle worksheets: Use these for the frog and chicken life cycles, which follow the same format.
• Food chain worksheet: Use it when students need to see how caterpillars and butterflies fit into a food chain.
• Water cycle worksheet: Use it to practice another cycle that repeats in a circle.
• Cell labeling worksheet: Use it to practice labeling parts of a diagram in a more detailed science topic.
• Science worksheet generator: Use it to make worksheets on other science topics.