Today’s exciting blog post encourages families to explore the wonders of nature and embark on a delightful butterfly-spotting adventure! Butterflies are simply beautiful creatures and their amazing colours and patterns are sure to appeal to little ones. With that in mind, we have prepared a visually appealing and informative A3 poster featuring 36 British butterflies, which you can download for free and print out. So, why not get the family ready to step outside, immerse yourselves in nature, and create cherished memories as you observe these enchanting creatures in their natural habitat? The poster gives visual reference and also ensures you have a lasting memento of this unique experience. Over time, this poster and nature-based activity will help you and your little one learn to identify these diverse and important little pollinators. As we reported before, nature is hugely beneficial for children, so it’s good to encourage them to get outdoors and search out these incredible little beings. Let’s take a look and dive into the fascinating world of butterflies together…

Butterfly Poster Preview:

Download Instructions

Depending on your settings, left-clicking the image above — or this link — will usually open it directly on screen, where you can see the images and zoom in on all the lovely detail. Alternatively, try right-clicking to save the file to your hard drive and then open it manually in Acrobat Reader ^∞. Print out the file to good quality A3 paper or ‘reduce to fit’ to print at A4.

Explore the Great Outdoors With Respect

Now that you have your poster, it’s time to venture outdoors with your little ones and seek out these beautiful butterflies. Whether you have a garden, a local park, or access to nature reserves and countryside, these locations often provide excellent opportunities for butterfly sightings. Teach children to have keen eyes and perhaps take along a camera, smartphone or magnifying glass for a closer look. Encourage them to keep track of the butterflies they encounter by marking or ticking the corresponding species on their poster. Perhaps take note of the date and location of each sighting, so you can go back again if you find a busy butterfly spot.

Remember, though, that butterflies are incredibly fragile little individuals that are peacefully going about their business. So, teach your children to respect them and not to touch or attempt to catch them — encourage children to observe, appreciate and enjoy their unique beauty.

Why This Activity is Important

Butterflies and other pollinators have experienced a significant decline in the UK over recent years, highlighting the importance of encouraging children to appreciate and respect nature. According to studies, butterfly populations have declined by approximately 40% in the past four decades, with certain species facing an even more alarming decline. These statistics serve as a wake-up call that emphasises the urgent need to protect and restore habitats that support these beautiful creatures.

Children can be a part of that. Engaging children in nature not only benefits them directly, but it also nurtures their sense of wonder and curiosity. Importantly, though, it also instils in them a deep appreciation for the environment and its inhabitants. By embarking on butterfly-spotting adventures and immersing themselves in the natural world, children will develop a sense of empathy for other creatures. They will begin to understand the interconnectedness of ecosystems and recognise the importance of preserving habitats for the survival of butterflies and other wildlife. Let’s inspire a love for butterflies and the natural world and foster a generation that cherishes and safeguards the rich biodiversity that sustains us all.

Nature for Under-Fives at Little Acorns Nursery, Hindley Green

We fully appreciate the importance and enormous benefits of introducing young children to nature at Little Acorns Nursery. Indeed, it’s one of the many reasons we’ve adopted the Hygge approach to early years childcare, and are introducing Forest School to the setting. So, if you would like your baby, toddler or preschooler to enjoy the very best childcare and early years education, register them for a childcare place at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, near Wigan. We’d be happy to show you around too, so you can see how well your child fits in. What’s more; we support free Government-funded childcare places for eligible families, so get in touch using an option below.

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is at Hindley Green, near Wigan, close to Bickershaw, Leigh, Atherton, Westhoughton, Ince-in-Makerfield, Platt Bridge, Tyldesley, Bolton and Greater Manchester.