First-School.ws
Handprints Flower Craft and Printable Activities
Materials:
- printer
- paper or card stock to print the template
- paper or construction paper in contrasting color for the background
- coloring tools for B&W template
- scissors
- glue or glue stick
This is a special crafting activity which can be done at home with family members, day care, classroom activity or adapted to just about any of the major holidays, and other observances, such as International Friendship Day or a Get Well Soon sentiment.
The craft can be composed of one single or more handprints of one child, or a composition of handprints of the child's family members. It can also be a way to bond with family members that may be living far away, such as grandparents, etc. Handprints are a near universal way to express social connection.
These fun and educational activities are appropriate for toddlers, preschool and elementary grades.
Activity: Holiday or Event
Parents > Share and explain how your family celebrates the holiday and what traditions are observed. Examples: Special dinners, family gatherings and reunions, gift giving, going to see fireworks, reading a book related to the holiday, going to see a parade, visiting grandparents, what special foods are prepared on that day, what are the special colors for the celebration, etc.
Educators > Share how the community and country in general celebrates the holiday or special occasion or event. Prepare ahead to have present the colors that complement the holiday or theme.
Science > Plants > Flowers and Gardening
This craft offers the opportunity to address the topic of plants, flowers, gardening and plant growth stages:
- Visit an educational video: to view the process of how a seeds grows, this is a collection of videos, including classical picture books.
- Before the assembly, the adult can draw roots on the pot template to add another layer of learning of the plant growth stages.
- Discuss the basic parts of the flower: stem, leaves, petals, roots. Label the parts of the flower.
- A classroom can all contribute the craft to make a garden theme bulletin board. Snap a photo to send to parents with each child holding their handprint flower project.
Instructions:
Colors: Plan for the color scheme ahead of time, depending on the occasion, holiday or theme.
Handprints prep:
For paper handprints, trace the hand with pencil, smooth out areas, cut out for a template. One hand is enough, it can be inverted to represent both hands if you need more than one handprint. Save the template to reuse, children's hands don't grow that fast, so you can reuse the same template for about a year for other crafting projects. Trace this template over the craft paper colors. Do the same if using other family member hands, and label each with the name for reference.
For painted handprints: Use washable tempera, premix with white to obtain the shade desired. It tends to work better to brush the paint unto the hands so that it isn't too paint heavy or use a sponge, which gives a different effect. Ensure you are getting both left and right prints if the flower you are planning for uses more than one handprint. Allow the painted handprints to dry naturally, overnight. If pressed for time, use a hair dryer, but it may curl the paper. Carefully cut out the handprints.
Template options: Print and select the template in color or B&W for the accessories: flower pot, stem, leaves and bow.
Assembly:
- Select a background color paper that complements the colors you've selected. A safe bet is a light blue background, or just white.
- Allow the children to assemble the elements first without gluing, just positioning and arranging to fit within the background paper. Suggest to arrange the individual templates from the bottom up.
- Once a satisfying arrangement is made, children glue in the elements, and an adult can assist in the process as needed.
Allow for creativity beyond the ideas shown. For example, instead of one stem have two or three, and place individual handprints on each stem in the flower pot. For a 3-D effect, glue the handprints at the palms only, use a pencil to curl the fingers (petals). - A simple greeting or title can be added by an adult and the child can print their own name in the margins. The flower pot can be a space to write a short message.
Templates:
