How to Make Handprint Valentine Art With Children

This is a fun craft to make with children on Valentine's Day. It is a great activity for parents to do with their children at home, but it can also be a good craft for a classroom setting. It involves making artwork from handprints, so be sure to date the back of the picture and save them so that one day you can pull them out to see how small the little hands once were.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Washable children's paint
• Colored construction paper
• White school glue
• Markers
• Glitter
• Disposable plastic or Styrofoam plates
• Lots of newspaper (to protect the work surface)
• Old clothes or craft smocks for children to wear

1. Cover the work surfaces with plenty of newspaper. Have each child choose a color of construction paper for their craft and place the paper in front of each child.
2. Ask each child to choose a color of paint they want to use for their craft. Only one color is needed per child.
3. Put a little bit of paint on a plate. With adult help, have each child carefully dip the palm and fingers of one hand into the paint on the plate.
4. Keeping fingers close together, have the children place their hands onto their paper at an angle near the center of the paper making a handprint.
5. Have the children dip their other hands into the paint and make another handprint, but position this one at an angle opposite the other print to make a heart shape.
6. Using the glue, make a little happy face on the handprint heart. Below the heart write "I love you" in glue. Sprinkle the glue throughly with glitter. Allow to dry.
7. When the glue and paint is throughly dry, shake off the excess glitter and write the date and child's name on the back of the artwork.

Tips & Warnings

• If doing this for a class, have one made in advance so the students can see what they will be making.
• To visualize how to make the heart shape, hold your hands out in front of you with all of your fingers together. Point your index fingers toward each other and have the tips of your thumbs together. You are looking at an upside down heart.
• Have plenty of adult help, especially if this will be a classroom activity.