Hooray for Hand Prints! - Fun Summer Crafts for Kids

The perfect compliment to your spring bug unit or a literary study of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, these super cute hand print bugs crafts are sure to be 'kid pleasers'!

Supplies You'll Need

• Construction paper in assorted colors
• Kids paint in assorted colors
• Paint brushes
• Markers

Hand Print Caterpillar

1. Help students paint the palm of their hand with paint {any color except green} and their fingers green. Invite them to press their hand against their chosen piece of construction paper to make a print.
2. Reload on paint, this time using a different color on their palm, and create a second print - right next to the first. Repeat this process two more times to create four full prints - the caterpillar's 'body'.
3. Using a paint brush and green paint, create the caterpillar's head. Add antennae, eyes, and a mouth with black craft paint or markers once the paint has dried.

Hand Print Butterfly

1. Help students cover their entire hand with craft paint, inviting them to create a print on their construction paper {their palm should be close to the center of the paper with their fingers pointed out to the left side of the page}.
2. Reload on paint, having them create a second and third print right next to the first. This will be the butterfly's left wing.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 on the other side of the paper {e.g. students should create parallel prints with their palm close to the middle and their fingers pointed to the right side of the paper}. This will be the butterfly's right wing.
4. Draw or create a card stock template for your students to trace a butterfly body/antennae onto a piece of construction paper. Cut and glue the body between the wings, pasting wiggle eyes to the face and using a marker to create the butterfly's mouth.
5. Cut around the entire butterfly shape and mount onto a colored piece of construction paper or use yarn to string them from the ceiling, window, or doorway!

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Here are some other fun hand print crafts we thought would be perfect for a summer crafting session!

Don't these hand and fingerprint strawberries look refreshing? We love how they make us think of picnics, sunshine, and outdoor fun! The poem that goes along with the craft is also pretty cute!

While traditional hand print flowers are cute, try these adorable daffodils. We love how the flower 'emerges' once you outline the dried prints. For extra variation {and a well-rounded 'flower garden}, have your kiddos experiment with combinations of the traditional flower colors - yellow, white, cream, orange and 'pink'. Don't forget to include the cutesy poem!