Read a Story, Make a Mother-Daughter Ladybug Craft

Today I'm sharing a fun ladybug craft with you. It's a cute ladybug magnet, and perfect to do as a mother-daughter craft. 

The other day, Isabella came home from school all excited to tell me what she'd learned about ladybugs.

"Mommy, did you know that ladybugs eat other bugs?"

I feigned ignorance, "They do? Wow!" I was glad that she'd found a bug she liked. I'm not really afraid of any insects, even spiders. I've kind of been hoping to pass that fearlessness on to my daughters, but it hadn't been going well.

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I remembered a book that I'd learned about from Deanna on Playdough & Popsicles. It's about a little girl who dresses up in a ladybug costume. No one in her family wants to play with her. She goes on to find her own fun, and build her own confidence. I definitely want to pass self-confidence on to my girls, along with bravery in the face of insects.

The story is Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis (affiliate), and I was excited to get my hands on it and read it with Isabella and Sophie. As soon as we finished it, Sophie wanted to read it again herself. So I knew we had a winner. It's actually the first in a series, so I'm going to have to look for some of the other.

Ladybug Craft Materials

Making these ladybug magnets is pretty simple. I already had everything I needed here at the house.

• Glass floral marbles (affiliate)
• Acrylic paint in red & black
• Acrylic sealer - I used a sparkly one
• Black permanent marker
• Masking tape
• Stick on magnet
• Small googly eyes
• Glue

Ladybug Craft Instructions

There is some paint drying time here. I gave my girls some paper to paint while we waited for the marbles to dry.

1. Paint the marble red on all sides. 
2. After the paint dries, mask off the body with tape. 
3. Paint the head black, and allow to dry.
4. Use the permanent marker to draw in the other details.
5. Paint sealer over the whole thing.
6. Glue on googly eyes.
7. Stick on the magnet.

We now have three adorable little ladybug magnets on our fridge. We may make a few more to give them as a sweet homemade gift for the girls' teachers. And we'll be reading all the Ladybug Girl books we can get our hands on.