Handprint Christmas wreath for preschoolers

Age: 3+ · Time: 40 min · For: Ages 3–5 Ages 6–9

A wreath made of your child's own hands is a lovely Christmas decoration for the front door or bedroom. Little green hands all around a ring, with a bright red bow: simple, cheerful and full of memories.

What your child does, where you help

Your child: paints or chooses the green paper, glues the hands and decorates.
You: cut the ring and the hands, and add the hanging loop.

Tips

Two shades of green make the wreath look fuller.
Stack the paper and cut two or three hands at once.

Variations

Painted hands: make green handprints on paper first and cut those out.
Snowy wreath: add white fingerprint snow on the tips of the fingers.

You need

green paper, ideally in two shades (or white paper that your child paints green)
a large paper plate or a round piece of cardboard from a box
a pencil
scissors, for the grown-up
a glue stick or white school glue
a piece of red or other colored paper for the bow
markers or paint, for decorating
string or ribbon, for hanging

Steps

A grown-up cuts the center out of the paper plate, leaving a ring of about 2 inches wide.
Draw around your child's hand on the green paper 10 to 12 times. Older children can draw around their own hand.
A grown-up cuts out the hands. Children of 5 and up can help with child-safe scissors.
Glue the hands around the ring, fingers pointing outwards, overlapping a little so no plate shows through.
Make a bow from red paper and glue it at the bottom of the wreath.
Decorate with dots of red paint or small paper circles as berries.
Tape a loop of string or ribbon to the back so you can hang it on the door.