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Coffee Filter Dragonfly Craft

This Coffee Filter Dragonfly makes a great summer craft for kids.

I love easy crafts for kids and this one uses a few basic craft supplies. Create colorful dragonflies by tie dyeing coffee filters with washable markers and using plastic spoons.

For more summer activities, check out our coffee filter butterflies, handprint sun paper plate, frog paper bag puppet, and kaleidoscope crafts.

Get 15 easy coffee filter craft tutorials conveniently all in one place for you with our Cute Coffee Filter Crafts digital craft book! Access it on your phone, tablet, or computer any time.

Woman's hand holding up a coffee filter dragonfly and two more in the background on a gray wood backdrop.

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Dragonfly Coffee Filter Craft

I love how simple and fun coffee filter crafts are for kids of all ages. You can easily create these coffee filter dragonflies in about 30 minutes (plus drying time) with help from the kids.

This arts and crafts project is perfect for preschool and kindergarten. Even toddlers can help tie dye the filters! Kids love watching the colors blend. Older children may be able to create these with minimal assistance.

Close overhead view of finished coffee filter dragonfly with green plastic spoon body and rainbow colored wings laying on gray wood background.

It’s a great way to explore color theory and blending. You can also make this dragonfly craft educational by researching facts about them.

When they are completed, use the dragonflies to hang in the window or to decorate the top of a gift.

Coffee Filter Dragonfly Craft Supplies:

Pack of green plastic spoons, coffee filters, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, markers, scissors, and hot glue gun on white wood background.

How to Make Coffee Filter Dragonflies

I recommend using a hot glue gun because it makes the craft more durable, especially if you use it for a decoration. Plus, it dries quicker. 

However, if you are making these with younger children, you may want an alternative to hot gluing. 

You may try using tacky craft glue (that’s my favorite one to use), but you will need additional drying time.

Lay out and flatten your round coffee filters. Draw random patterns, like circles and stripes with a rainbow of washable marker colors. You will need one coffee filter per dragonfly.

Two rainbow colored coffee filters and markers laying on white wood background.

Place your colored coffee filter papers on a cookie sheet or plastic zip top bag and mist with water to watch the magic as the colors spread and blend!

TIP: Wax or freezer paper will work as well in place of a cookie sheet, but place an old towel underneath to protect your work surface.

Wet colored coffee filter with colors blending, washable markers, and small water spray bottle laying on white wood background.

Set them aside to dry. Depending on the humidity, it will take about 1-2 hours for the filters to air dry. Some readers have suggested using a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

Glue two wiggly googly eyes to the back of the spoon. (If using tacky glue for the eyes, you may want to save this step for last.)

Next, bend a chenille stem (aka pipe cleaner) in half and wrap around the handle of the spoon. Then pinch it into a “V” shape and curl both ends to create the antenna. Secure the chenille stem to the spoon with a dab of glue. 

Three green plastic spoons with googly eyes laying next to each other showing steps of how to attach chenille stem to create antenna for dragonfly.

Slide plastic pony beads onto the end of each antenna and wrap the chenille stem to secure the beads in place. 

Close up of two dragonfly crafts showing how to add pony beads to end of chenille stem antenna.

Once dry, fold the coffee filter in half and trim to create an oval football shape for the wings. (When unfolded, it looks like a triangle was cut out from each side.)

Colored coffee filter folded to demonstrate where to trim it.
Rainbow colored coffee filter laid flat, showing circle shape with triangle section cut out from each side.

Now unfold the coffee filter and create the wing by pinching the top and bottom into the center. 

Colorful coffee filter with sides gathered into the center to shape the dragonfly's wings.

Glue the coffee filter wings to the plastic spoon handle to complete the dragonfly.

Green plastic spoon with googly eyes and purple chenille stem antenna laying on white wood background next to rainbow colored coffee filter wings and glue gun.

Did you make this project with your kids or students? We’d love to see it! Take a picture of it, then join our private Facebook group and show us in there.

More Coffee Filter Crafts:

Close view of completed dragonfly craft made with coffee filter and plastic spoon on gray wood background.

Colorful Coffee Filter Dragonfly Craft

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Coffee filters and washable markers transform into a colorful dragonfly craft for kids!

Materials

  • 1 Round White Coffee Filter
  • Washable Markers
  • 2 Googly Eyes
  • 1 Plastic Spoon
  • 1 Chenille Stem in assorted colors
  • 2 Pony Beads

Tools

  • Water Spray Bottle
  • Low Temp Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (or tacky craft glue)
  • Scissors
  • Gallon zip top bags or cookie sheet or wax paper (to lay filters on for drying)

Instructions

  1. Lay out and flatten your round coffee filters. Draw random patterns, like circles and stripes with a rainbow of washable marker colors. You will need one coffee filter per dragonfly.
  2. Place your colored coffee filter papers on a cookie sheet or plastic zip top bag and mist with water to watch the magic as the colors spread and blend!
  3. TIP: Wax or freezer paper will work as well in place of a cookie sheet, but place an old towel underneath to protect your work surface.
  4. Set them aside to dry. Depending on the humidity, it will take about 1-2 hours for the filters to air dry.
  5. Some readers have suggested using a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.
  6. Glue two wiggly googly eyes to the back of the spoon. (If using tacky glue for the eyes, you may want to save this step for last.)
  7. Next, bend a chenille stem (aka pipe cleaner) in half and wrap around the handle of the spoon. Then pinch it into a “V” shape and curl both ends to create the antenna. Secure the chenille stem to the spoon with a dab of glue. 
  8. Slide plastic pony beads onto the end of each antenna and wrap the chenille stem to secure the beads in place. 
  9. Once dry, fold the coffee filter in half and trim to create an oval football shape for the wings. (When unfolded, it looks like a triangle was cut out from each side.)
  10. Now unfold the coffee filter and create the wing by pinching the top and bottom into the center. 
  11. Glue the coffee filter wings to the plastic spoon handle to complete the dragonfly.

Notes

I recommend using a hot glue gun because it makes the craft more durable, especially if you use it for a decoration. Plus, it dries quicker. 

However, if you are making these with younger children, you may want an alternative to hot gluing. 

You may try using tacky craft glue (that’s my favorite one to use), but you will need additional drying time.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

top image of completed coffee filter dragonflies with woman's hand holding one up and bottom image shows closer view of dragonfly craft. Text overlay in middle states Coffee Filter Dragonfly Craft for Kids.

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