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✂️ Handprint reindeer craft for toddlers and preschoolers
Age: 2+ · Time: 30 min
There's something magical about capturing your child's tiny hand at Christmastime. This handprint reindeer comes together in minutes, needs only a few supplies from the craft drawer, and makes a holiday card or keepsake you'll pull out every December for years.
It's a great first craft for toddlers, and preschoolers love making a whole reindeer team with silly faces.
Tips
- Washable tempera paint is your best friend here.
- Do a practice print on scrap paper before the "real" one.
- Make a few at once so you have extras for grandparents, aunts and uncles.
Variations
- Big and little: print a parent's hand and a child's hand side by side.
- Footprint reindeer: for babies, a painted footprint (heel at the top) makes the face, with handprint antlers.
- Night sky card: print on navy cardstock and add white fingerprint snowflakes.
For little helpers
Let your child pick where the eyes and nose go. A slightly lopsided reindeer is the best kind.
You need
- white cardstock (fold an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet in half for a card)
- brown washable tempera paint
- a foam brush or sponge
- a paper plate for the paint
- googly eyes or a black marker
- a red pom-pom, button or red paper circle for the nose
- white school glue or a glue stick
- markers or crayons
- baby wipes and a smock or old T-shirt
Steps
- Set up before you start. Cover the table, put a smock on your little one, and keep wipes within reach.
- Pour a little brown paint onto the paper plate. Brush an even layer over your child's palm and thumb. You can paint the fingers too, or leave them clean.
- Help your child press their hand onto the cardstock with fingers spread wide and pointing up: the palm becomes the reindeer's face, and the fingers become the antlers. Count to three together, then lift straight up.
- Clean hands right away and let the print dry for about 20 minutes.
- Glue on two googly eyes near the bottom of the palm, or draw them with a marker.
- Add a red pom-pom or button nose just below the eyes.
- Let your child decorate the antlers with marker ornaments, twinkle lights, or a little Santa hat.
- Write your child's name and age on the back. Grandparents will want one too.
Questions
How do I get a clean print from a wiggly toddler?
Turn it into a game ("Make a big starfish hand!"), gently press over the back of their hand while you count, and don't worry about smudges. They're part of the charm.
What if I don't want to use paint?
Trace your child's hand on brown construction paper, cut it out, and glue it on. The fingers become the antlers.
Can I turn it into an ornament?
Yes. Make the print on a circle of cardstock, laminate it or cover it with clear packing tape, punch a hole, and add a ribbon.