Christmas Handprint Activity

I love doing handprint art......the cool things you can make your handprints into, the way you document how your childs hands change over time and the fun you have creating a treasure that makes a memory to last for years to come. For those reasons I must start with this simple tradition that we do every christmas. Over the years we have made christmas trees, doves, wreaths, angels, santa faces and reindeer. However this reindeer has to be one of my favorites. I saw this reindeer face on a dinnerplate a couple of years ago and immediately thought what a great little design to add some handprints to. I love how sweet and peaceful the reindeer looks with the eyes shut.

 To get started I drew a template of the reindeer face. After I was satisfied with the shape, I took a white science project board and cut it down to 12" x 12" squares. The boys and I drew the face on the boards with black marker, added the eyes by using a bottlecap from a soda, and put the red nose on with a marker by tracing a quarter. Of course the next part is what the kids love best......painting the palms of their hands to make the antlers. A little tip I have found over the years is to put some paint on a plate and dip a big sponge in the paint to coat their hands with. You can put just the right amount of paint on with this method.I usually do one hand at a time. If you are trying this with a baby or toddler, you may have to ask for some additional help to keep their hands steady to print.

Once you have the handprints down, you can embellish it as you wish. 

I decided to wrap the boards edges with red duct tape to create a frame around the print but you could certainly frame it if you like. We added some ribbon and buttons to make hangers for the reindeer, signed  and dated it to finish it off.

We used this reindeer design as a craft activity for a cookie decorating party I had for the twins friends last year. It turned out to be a great memento to remember the wonderful time we had that day. I recall it took me only an evening to prep 10 boards for the party.

Hopefully this will inspire you to start a tradition of doing a handprint activity with your child. If you need more inspiration you might want to check out Artist helping children. They have lots of handprint designs to choose from.

Have a great day!