KWs: first day handprint craft (170) 29%, back to School Handprint Art (40) 24%,

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INTRO

For each of my kids’ first Christmases, I took their little hands and made handprint ornaments for us and all the grandparents.

And that started a thing: handprint art.

Kids change SO fast. Those adorable pudgy baby hands quickly turn into toddler hands, which grow into little kid hands, and all too soon, big kid hands.

It almost makes me cry thinking about how fast it goes because we’re now transitioning from little kid hands to big kid hands. 😭

When they were little (like toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, 1-3rd grades), we did tons of Handprint Art, and I’m still a huge fan of it. So, naturally, I had to bring it in as a back-to-school activity!

This first day handprint craft is a terrific way to start the year with fun ice-breaker activities. Every teacher needs those, right?

Not only are they great for the classroom, but they’re also great to make at home or with grandparents.

This fun activity will get your students excited about a new school year AND creates special keepsakes that you want to hang up around the house (especially in a front-opening art display)!

If you’re searching for more back to school fun and inspiration, check out our Back To School Cupcakes and Free Back To School Coloring Pages!

Special And Easy Back To School Artwork

Looking for simple yet cool ways to make back to school time extra special for your kids?

Get creative ideas for using and your free set of handprint art featuring back to school themes today!

That’s awesome! Back to school activities are fantastic ways to help get your kids excited about a new year plus create special keepsakes.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed back to (home)school activities with my boys that allows them to chat about and record their thoughts, feelings, and such for the upcoming year. And I’ve loved helping them jot down fun stuff like “favorites”, height, goals, and more.

This year, I’m adding these back to school Handprint Art Activities to our new first day of school fun.

What Are Handprint Art Activities? (And Why Should You Do It?)

Handprint art with your kids is a creative activity that includes applying paint (or ink) to your child’s hands (and fingertips) then pressing onto paper.

These activities totally rock! A few reasons why you’ll love handprint art with your kids are:

1. Kids of all ages can get into the fun
2. You only need a few supplies (making it affordable)
3. With a bit of smart preparation, the mess can be kept to a minimum
4. Simple ways to create special keepsakes
5. Fun opportunities for creative expression

If you need an activity that helps kids slow down and focus, I recommend handprint art. There’s something so cool about seeing how your handprints and fingerprints turn out on the paper (and become transformed into art!).

How Enjoy Handprint Art Activities with Your Kids

Seems like a lot of fun but concerned about how much mess it will make?

Here are some tips and tricks to make your back to school handprint art experiences as relaxing and fun as possible (for your kids and you):

• Prepare your materials ahead of time. Recommended supplies include:
  • Washable paint
  • Foam brushes
  • Paint brushes
  • Newspaper or plastic tablecloth for quick clean-up
  • Hand wipes or baby wipes (to quickly wipe paint off hands and fingertips)
  • Crayons and markers (optional, to add details)
  • Large washable ink pads (if you really want to keep mess to a minimum, these types of pads keep the splatter down!)
  • Print extra copies of each of these back to school handprint art activities, in case your kids want to make more than one.
• Print these pages on white cardstock for added durability (and less likelihood of the paint to bleed through).
• Remind your kids that each project will be unique and doesn’t have to be “perfect”. Sometimes hands or fingers move – and that’s okay. Talk about how you can turn their work into an extra special creation.
• When your children are done with their handprint project, prompt them to “freeze like a statue” (so you can wipe off their hands before they run around touching stuff!).
• Make sure to have damp rags or hand wipes close by to easily wipe off hands (then send to wash hands at the sink).

What’s In This Free Back to School Handprint Art Activities Set?

This free set of back to school handprint art activities includes a variety of styles with 10 blank and 10 examples (in color).

The 10 styles (with cute back to school phrases in open font to color in+ tips on making) include:

• My First Day of School: Cute caterpillar shape for your kids to add a photo, age, height, favorite colors, teacher’s name, favorite book, hobbies, my dream. There’s also a box for your student to record their right thumbprint. Your student can add fingerprints around the caterpillar for legs and around the frame.
• Building Ideas with Friends: Includes lightbulb.
  • Paint left hand red and gently press on left side of lightbulb (thumb under the bulb).
    • Optional: Wipe off left hand and paint yellow. Gently press over dried red handprint.
  • Pain right hand green and gently press on right side of the lightbulb (with thumb under the bulb).
    • Optional: Wipe paint off the right hand and paint blue. Gently press over dried green handprint.
• We are a box of crayons: This activity pairs so well with our free printable The Crayon Box That Talked activities set!
  • Paint the base of the right hand yellow.
  • Paint each finger a different color.
  • Gently press handprint on paper.
  • When paint dries, use fine-tip paint brush to add black lines on the fingers. Or use a black marker for the lines.
  • Add a line of green on the yellow base.
• Imagination and Knowledge: Includes apple stem and leaf.
  • Paint the base of the left hand red. Paint the left thumb green. Press the base under the stem.
  • When paint has dried, use markers to add details.
• The Adventure Begins: Includes graduation cap.
  • Paint the base of the left hand a flesh color. Add line of black at bottom of the base.
  • Paint the left thumb black.
  • Paint fingers any color you like (example shows blue).
• I ❤️️ School:
  • Paint the left hand any color (example shown is purple). Press upside at an angle under the “I”.
  • Paint the right hand a different color (example shown is pink). Press upside down at an angle beside the initial handprint.
• Learn as much as you can while you are young: Includes pencil and letter “A”.
  • Paint the left hand and thumb any color (example shown is yellow). Press so the thumbprint covers the bottom space on the pencil.
• I’ve always loved the first day of school: Includes “1st” with sneaker.
  • Paint the right hand base and thumb brown (or other color of your choice). Press so thumbprint is slightly under the show and the base of the hand is under the “1st”.
• School bells are ringing loud and clear so kids can surely hear: Includes 2 bell handles with bows.
  • Paint the right hand any color (example shown is yellow). Add a different color to the tip of the middle finger (for the ringer). Press the handprint upside down under the left bell handle.
  • Repeat the process the left hand. Place that handprint upside down under the right bell handle.
• Success is the sum of small efforts: Includes plus sign.
  • Paint the left hand base and middle and pointer finger any color (example shown is orange).
  • Paint the right hand base and ring, middle, and pointer finger a different color (example shown is blue).

Get Your Free Pack of Back to School Handprint Art Activities

High five! You’re on your way to enjoying super fun back to school activities with your kids!

This free pack includes 20 printable (PDF) pages (10 blank and 10 examples in color) featuring back to school handprint art activities.

You may print as many copies of these coloring activities as you’d like to enjoy with your kids. If you have a friend or co-worker who might like to boost their back to (home)school fun, please share this post. I truly appreciate your sharing!

To get this free set of back to school handprint art pages, simply subscribe to Rock Your Homeschool.

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