How to Draw a Very Patterned Caterpillar in 40 Minutes

A Hungry Caterpillar

How to Draw a Very Patterned Caterpillar in 40 Minutes will engage kids. It engages the kids because you start with the very famous Eric Carle book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The book starts with a little egg laying in the light of the moon. As you read the story, a caterpillar “pops” from the egg. This caterpillar is very hungry. However, it is just a green color. If you share more picture with your kids, then you will see that some caterpillars have pattern too.

Let’s draw the very patterned caterpillar in 40 minutes.

Supplies for the very patterned caterpillar in 40 minutes:

First you will need the following:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Small drinking cup or circle tracer
• Crayons

Second you demonstrate the how to trace the circle tracer in the lower left corner. After the kids trace their head, they will draw a fun face on their caterpillar.

Next, you will show the kids how to overlap the trace on the eye of the caterpillar to the right. The circle tracer must be at a diagonal up toward the center of the paper. Then you trace just the curved line of the circle outside of the head. Have the kids copy you and you double check their positioning of the tracer. Furthermore, you show how to keep overlapping and tracing diagonally toward the center of the top of the paper. You will get about 3 or 4 additional curves. Then the kids try it. Then you show the kids how to continue overlapping and tracing the back end of the caterpillar. About 3-3 more curves for an average of 7-8 segments.

Add Pattern

To add pattern, ask the kids to guide what you draw. Ask them for a line and the demonstrate how to repeat that line in one segment of the caterpillar. Then ask another kids for a different line and draw it on the next segment. Be sure that you emphasis that you are spacing the lines out too. Therefore, there may only be 3 lines in each of the first segments. Lastly, ask a kids for shape. You draw the shape between the lines in one of the segments. Explain that the shape does not have to be repeated super small and squished together. Define pattern as you are drawing. The repetition of an order set of lines, shape, and color for this activity is a pattern. Now, you will repeat the first two segment patterns in the following segments.

Add Color

When adding color, kids must repeat the colors in the same order. If a kid uses yellow and orange in one section, then they need to repeat in each section that has the pattern. How to Draw a Very Patterned Caterpillar in 40 Minutes teaches pattern. So the coloring process with take kids about 10 minutes. You must emphasize coloring within the lines. Also, kids see how nature has pattern. In addition, how humans reflect their natural world by putting pattern on clothing, curtains, bed coverings, and more.

Lots of Legs

Caterpillars are bugs. So we must remember to put on all those creepy legs. Use simple short curved lines for legs. Optionally, you could have kids add little feet on the end of the curved legs.

Feed your pet Caterpillar

It is fun to mention to the kids that the caterpillar is a pet. So like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you and the kids will brainstorm what they can feed their very patterned caterpillar. It needs to stay healthy and get super fat, because in the book, the caterpillar indeed gets very fat. Even though you may say healthy, it is great to list all the tasty foods that kids enjoy.

You and kids surround the very patterned caterpillar with food. It is a good idea to stress the use many different foods. Also the foods may be large to fill he space well. Add color and the very patterned caterpillar in 40 minutes will be complete.

If you enjoyed this art lesson, then check out this one: Crawly Caterpillars. It is an activity with a free printable. Your kids will be able to make small puppets and play. Art and play sometimes go together.