Handprint Ducks In A Row

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6+

Okay, I might be a genius for coming up with this one. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how it looks hanging in my kitchen!

To make this craft you will need:

• Yellow paint
• Large sheet of paper (I actually glued several pieces to a large cardboard piece I had)
• 1 mommy (or daddy) hand (or be creative and do both!!!)
• kids hands
• crayons/markers
  

Now, first think it out and make sure all of your ducks are facing the same way. We did ours with the right hand.

Start with your biggest duck first. It is easier to squeeze in smaller "ducks" not so easy to squeeze in bigger ducks.

Stamp your hand down and clean yourself up. Now, take your eldest duck and paint their SAME side hand as you did. Stamp them close to you, but leave a bit of room. Keep going until you have all of your ducks in a row! :)

Once the paint is dry add a few finishing touches like webbed feet and and bills and eyes. I also put our names under the ducks. And, I jazzed it up with some construction paper grass layers.

I think it needs a ribbon frame around it, but other than that I LOVE it.

Hand Print Leprechaun

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You know I would have to squeeze in a hand print idea!

To make this craft you will need:

• Orange paint
• Green paint
• Peach/flesh paint
• 1 cute hand :)

Paint your child's palm skin color, his fingers orange. Now wipe those colors off and paint the three long fingers green and stamp them at the top of the "head" on your paper. I painted my son's pointer finger green and attempted to stamp the brim of the hat, but that was tricky.

Once your paint dries add some features with a permanent black marker. And don't forget the date!!

My Dr. Seuss Book

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Well, I couldn't let Gracie have all of the Seuss fun today!

So, Thomas and I made our own Dr. Seuss Book! I thought up my own hand and foot print ideas...with the exception of Thing 1 & Thing 2--which is genius!!!

To make this craft you will need:

• washable paints
• hands & feet & fingers too

Give these hand & foot print ideas a whirl!

Horton's clover; palm of the hand painted pink. Finger painted green, add white to make the speck with your child's pointer finger. Now, you can see mine is purple--it would have worked better on not white paper. You couldn't see the white at all, so I went over it with a darker color.

The Foot Book: self explanatory, choose colors your child likes and make an imprint of their left and right foot.

Red Fish, Blue Fish. Paint hands red and blue and stamp. Add bubbles, fin and mouth for fun!


This was a genius idea! Mine did not come out nearly as well as hers. But, I love ti none the less. I had Gracie make Thing 1 (since she is the oldest), and Thomas is Thing 2. Paint palm of your hand pink/peach/flesh, fingers blue, and wrist red. Stamp! Add facial features.

Valentine's Hand Print Craft

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Isn't this the sweetest! Super easy to do, and whom ever you give it to will surely love it!!

To make this craft you will need:

• Red paint
• Construction paper
• One pair of adorable hands

Simply paint press your child's hand (either one) on the paper at a slight angle. Clean that hand up and paint the other one. Turn the paper so it is easier for you and your child. Line up the fingers with the last set and turn their hand to an angle. Simple heart!

I added a heart outline to mine since his hands are so small and it may not have been apparent that it was a heart. And, I love to add simple rhymes to the paper as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

**Don't forget that date at the bottom!!**

Birthday Prints

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You have the paint out still, so make some prints for a keepsake.

To make this craft you will need:

• Paint
• A Birthday Hand
• A Birthday Foot

Don't forget to add the date and your child's name. And if you are looking for a good way to keep these hand and feet prints, scroll up and see the printable birthday book I created.

Birthday Cake (Cupcake) Hand Print Idea

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Okay, not only were there VERY few birthday printables and craft ideas--I didn't find any hand print ideas--and I love to do things with hand prints.

So, I made one up, and I LOVE it!!

To make this craft you will need:

• Your child's favorite color paint
• White paint OR another favorite color paint
  
• Yellow Paint
• Construction paper

I already had white paper out before I thought about it...so I used a coordinating color blue for my candles. If you think ahead and use a color peice of paper, white would look great for your candles.

Anyway...

Paint the palm of your child's hand their favorite color--DO NOT paint their fingers yet. Now, paint how ever many years they are turning fingers white (or the other favorite color)--leaving the tips of their fingers clean! Now, paint the tips yellow.

Press their hands down at once, don't try to do this in steps or you will likely find a smudged cake.

Ta-da!

I think I get an extra sticker for creativity on this one :)

Groundhog Hand & Foot Print Craft

Toddler, Pre-K, K

You know, I couldn't find a single hand or foot or even thumb print idea for Groundhog days--and you know I love to do those (my toddler does too!). So, I made up my own, and I think it turned out super cute!

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction paper
• Brown paint
• Green paint
• Permanent marker
  
• 1 cute foot
• 1 cute hand

Paint your child's foot brown and have him stamp it on the paper. After you clean him or her up. Paint one of their hands green and have them stamp several prints along the the bottom of the footprint (at the toes). Now you see the groundhog in the grass.

Once the paint has dried, use a permanent marker to fill in the face and body lines.

Handprint Santa

Toddler, Pre-K, K

This one is pretty simple---and looks so cute!!!

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction paper
• White Paint
• Red Paint
• Flesh color paint or mix a very little orange with some white. You want to be able to distinguish the face from the beard.
• A cute hand!

Paint your child's fingers white, the middle to the bottom of the palm skin color, the top of the palm and the thumb almost to the end red, the tip of the thumb white.

Press your child's hand down.

Now, draw facial features. In hindsight I wonder if just doing the eyes and nose would have been cuter, like the beard takes up his mouth?

Hand Print Holly Wreath

Toddler, Pre-K, K

While you have the green paint out and the kids are messy--try this one too!

To make this craft you will need:

• 1 paper plate
• Green paint
• Red paint (optional)
• Red construction paper, or ribbon (optional)
• Scissors
• Glue stick (optional)

Cut the middle out of a paper plate. Now, paint your child's hands with green paint and stamp them along the edges of the paper plate ring. You can use their fingers to make holly berries with red and add a bow at the bottom.

Handprint Reindeer

Toddler, Pre-K, K

While you have the brown paint out and your kids are already messy--try this hand print reindeer as well.

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction paper
• Brown Paint
• One Cute Hand
• Markers for facial features

This one is pretty simple. Paint your child's hand and stamp on the paper. The fingers are the antlers, the palm is the face. Add facial features, or let your child do that part. You don't have to use just markers--I cut out a red nose from scrap construction paper.

Hand & Foot Print Reindeer

Toddler, Pre-K, K

Get the brown paint out and get messy...and have fun!

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction Paper
  
• Brown paint
• One cute foot
• Two cute hands
• Markers for facial features

Paint your child's foot first and stamp it on the paper. Now, paint their hands (one at a time I suggest ;) and have them stamp on the reindeer's antlers.

Let the reindeer dry and add facial features, your child's name and the date!

Winter Tree

Toddler, Pre-K, K

If you had fun making the fall tree with your child, then you will love this one too.

To make this craft you will need:

• Construction paper (I would use any color but white, light blue looks a lot like a snowy wintry sky)
• Brown paint
• White paint
• 1 cute little hand

Paint your child's hand and forearm brown. Have them press down to make a tree trunk and branches.

I let mine dry really well before adding the "snow," but use your judgment.

Let them dip their pointer finger or thumb in white paint and add snowflakes in the sky and on the bare tree branches.

When my toddler was done, I painted some snow on the ground and used my thumb and pointer finger to make a red mommy bird in the tree.

Don't forget to add your child's name and the date (at least the year) at the bottom!

Hand And Footprint Turkey

Toddler, Pre-K, K

I won't insult any ones intelligence with the three hand, foot & thumbprint turkey crafts the kids and I made this week. Use your favorite colors and your imagination. And make sure the paint has dried before you add the extra details with a pen or marker. :)

Hand Print Turkey

Toddler, Pre-K, K

I won't insult any ones intelligence with the three hand, foot & thumbprint turkey crafts the kids and I made this week. Use your favorite colors and your imagination. And make sure the paint has dried before you add the extra details with a pen or marker. :)

Football Handprint

Toddler, Pre-K, K

I love making hand prints with Thomas, and when I decided to do a "football week," I racked my brain trying to figure out the best way to use his hands. While searching for fun football ideas (which there are very few! Most of the ideas you will see this week I made up myself!), I came across a clip art graphic and the light bulb went off.

Now I love the outcome--but the football in the middle would look just as cute (maybe better--who knows) as just a drawn or cut out ball. When you do this craft you can try either way.

To make this craft you will need:

• Paper
• Skin color paint
• Brown paint
• A cute pair of hands

I simply had him make hand prints with both hands and left some space in the middle and top for the ball.

I closed his fingers and didn't paint his thumb when I made the football. But, as I said, I think it would look just as good or better if you just drew or painted or cut out a football shape.

I added the "touchdown" part just to be cute.

Hand & Fingerprint Tree

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

There are many variations on this craft, so use your imagination and have fun with your kids. In years past I have made a mommy tree and a Gracie tree on very large newsprint. And, until this year I didn't even think to use my child's hand and arm for the trunk and the branches. You could do one tree, or a whole forest--but when you and your little one make the leaves, don't forget a few that have fallen to the ground.

For this craft you will need:

• Brown paint
• Red, Orange, Yellow (or your leaf color choices) paint
• 1 cute hand (and possibly arm)
• 1-5 adorable finger tips

If you want to save your child's hand print along with the finger print leaves, cover their hands in brown paint. You could paint a bit of their arms with brown as I did, but my toddler didn't get the idea and it smeared. He was used to hand prints, but not the arm. It is just as cute to then paint your own stem.

Clean off the brown from your child's hand. There really is no reason to make them wait until it is dry. They are already having fun in the paint and odds are you aren't going to want to pull this all out again. So, start painting their fingers.

With my young one I tried to just paint his pointer finger. I got better results with one finger. When the process got tedious and he got bored, I painted each finger a different color and kind of "stamped" his fingertips--but you can probably see how those smeared. Pre-K and Kindergarteners should be able to not only make their fingerprints clear, but will also be able to change from color to color.

Experiment with the colors and don't forget to put some at the bottom of the tree. I have my kids do one color at a time because they will eventually get yellow in the orange ad red, etc--but I didn't have this luxuary with Thomas, and I kind of like the blended colors! They are a lot more realistic.

Have fun!!

Owl Hand And Footprint

Toddler, Pre-K, K

I found this idea on DLTK's website, but it called for paper, and I am a big fan of doing hand and feet print in paint...so I adapted it.

I didn't find anyone else who used the footprint for the body--but I think it looks darling! The toes look like tail feathers, don't you think?

For this craft you will need:

• Brown paint (washable is best)
• Paper
• Markers (thin if possible) in black and orange
• An adorable foot, and two cute hands

Have your child paint and press their foot down first. I used the toes to make tail feathers, so be sure to turn your paper if necessary before you do the hands.

Have the child do both hands so you have more realistic looking feathers. Put the palm of your child's hand as close, and even overlapping some, to the heel of the footprint as possible.

Wait for the pain to dry and add your beak, eyes & claws with your markers.

Mommy Tip: as I always say add your child's name and the date! Plus, when you paint the hands and feet you will have enough for a another "pressing," so have another sheet of paper ready and make two. One to keep, and one to give away.

Pumpkin Hand Print

Toddler, Pre-K, K

A simple and fun way to make apples for fall! For this craft you will need:

• Orange paint (washable is best)
• Green & brown paint (optional)
• Paper of any kind
• One adorable little hand

Simply paint the palm of your child's hand with orange, making sure not to cover any of the fingers. Press your child's palm down firmly and bring back up. There you have your pumpkin! Now, you can either drawn on your stem, or get out the brown paint, and paint your child's index finger to press down for the stem. You can stop there, or paint your child's thumb green to make a leaf, or even a vine with many leaves going down the side. Be sure to add your child's name and the date.

Mommy Tip: Your child's hand is already full of paint and you can get more than one apple out of the layer you just put on their hand. Have a second piece of paper ready and make a second apple (or more if they are having fun). Save the other apple to send to Grandma or for daddy's desk at work.

Apple Print

Toddler, Pre-K, K

A simple and fun way to make apples for fall!

For this craft you will need:

• Red, green, or yellow paint (washable is best)
• Brown paint (optional)
• Paper of any kind
• One adorable little hand

Simply paint the palm of your child's hand with your preferred apple color paint, making sure not to cover any of the fingers.

Press your child's palm down firmly and bring back up. There you have your apple!

Now, you can either drawn on your stem, or get out the brown paint, and paint your child's index finger to press down for the stem. You can stop there, or paint your child's thumb green to make a leaf for the side. (This is what I did with Thomas, and thought it looked super cute)

Be sure to add your child's name and the date.

Mommy Tip: Your child's hand is already full of paint and you can get more than one apple out of the layer you just put on their hand. Have a second piece of paper ready and make a second apple (or more if they are having fun). Save the other apple to send to Grandma or for daddy's desk at work.

Handprint Spider

Toddler, Pre-K, K

This activity is great for all ages!

I wish I had done more hand prints with both of my kids. If your child can sit still or be held and you don't mind painting their tiny hands with washable paint--I say strip them to their onsies and go for it.

For this craft you will need:

• black paint (washable is best!!)
• paper of any kind (the thicker the better)
• permanent marker--black
• 2 adorable hands

*Note: most people will tell you to lay down newspaper before you start the craft, and you can and should if you don't have a table that can be easily wiped down with a Chlorox wipe like mine can. I will however warn you to wear an apron. Not the child--you! If you are working with a toddler or younger you won't be able to control their hands until you can wash them or wipe them thoroughly with a baby wipe. And the paint is washable, but you will have to change your clothes, because you will be covered in their adorable and possibly flailing hand prints.*

The idea is simple. Have your child spread their fingers and make two vertical hand prints meeting at the edge of their palms.

Once your child's hand prints are DRY, take a permanent marker and make the eyes and mouth. you can do scary or cute. (I prefer all things cute in this house :)

I dressed my child's hand print up a little with an added rhyme.


Mommy Tip:

Your child's hands are covered in paint, lay out an extra piece of paper and get them to stamp some of the excess paint off on the clean sheet. Now you not only will have the craft, but you will have a hand print copy by itself. You can send this print (or prints since both hands are wet you could do two) to grandma or for dad's office, etc.