My daughter and I made this dragonfly craft together ages ago but sometimes crafts get skipped and we never post them. I have been waiting all winter to post this one and now that it is almost summer it’s time to share! I love contact paper crafts because even very young children can do much of the craft independently. Sticky crafts like this one that uses teeny tiny gems are great for fine tuning fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are important for writing, but they are also important for many daily self-help skills like using utensils, buttoning shirts, and fastening jewelry clasps. Giving your child ample opportunities to work on these skills will help in lots of areas, not just an academic one.
Gather your materials. You will need some contact paper, cardstock, permanent markers, scissors, a wooden peg, sequins, and gems of all sorts, and glue. 
Start by cutting out the outline of a dragonfly. I folded my cardstock in half then cut out a really elongated B with the top bubble big and wide and the bottom very small. Then I cut out the center of the top bubble, leaving only an outline. Open up and lay on the contact paper so that the sticky side is facing up through the wings. Trim. 
While I was doing that my little helper decorated the body of the dragonfly with markers. You don’t HAVE to use permanent markers, but they are a “treat” at our house and she asked nicely. I should say last year when we did this they were, now not so much. Goodness kids grow too fast!
Time to add the bling! 
She started adding them one by one.
Soon she switched to dumping a little handful on, then removed the loose ones.
After she added all the little bits I added glue to the peg and slid the wings through. Let dry for 24 hours. If you are doing this in a classroom this would be a good Friday so it has all weekend to dry.
Books about Bugs
Check out our list of great bug books for kids (complete with reviews). Click on this link to read Books About Bugs.
For more crafts like this dragonfly craft, make sure to follow me on Facebook!
For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. It is packed with fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.
Deanna says
I’ve done something similar with tissue paper, recommend adding the transparent opalescent glitter to wings once decorated with sequence to prevent dust and stuff on exposed sticky area of contact paper, allows the light to shine through when hanging them…they stay nice for a long time!