Fingerprint Art Projects

Children learn through hands-on play.

Fingerprint art projects provide a sensory-stimulating approach to enhance your child's creativity. Children enjoy using a part of their bodies to create art and explore color. In addition, finger painting helps your preschool-age child improve developmental skills, such as hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Materials

Use child-safe products.

Paint or ink is used to create fingerprint art projects. Some projects require the addition of lines drawn with a thin-lined, permanent marker or colored pencils. In addition to paint, ink works best for projects on paper such as fingerprint animals. Use fabric paints on fabric, enamel paints on glass and tempera paint for paper projects. When selecting ink or paint, choose child-safe, nontoxic, washable products in a variety of colors.

Preparation

Wash hands prior to finger painting.

Proper preparation lessens messes and ensures stress-free fingerprint art projects. First, cover your work surface with newspaper. Place a smock or old shirt on your child. Wash all hands before painting. Place a damp cloth on the table to wipe paint off fingers. Prepare your paint palate by placing paints onto a paper plate. For younger children, make paper cutouts before your child sits down to paint. Also, make an example to show your child what he will be working to accomplish.

Process

Paint with your children for family fun.

While older children may understand the process with verbal instructions, you may need to hold your younger child's hand, dab it into the paint and press it onto the paper. Wipe her finger and repeat with another color. Let her try it on her own.

Prepare enough materials to paint with your young child. Often, parents aren't encouraged to paint or draw alongside their child. Children can become frustrated at not being able to match the adult's artwork. However, according to Susan Striker, author of "Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art," finger painting with your child is a positive activity because no one is able to create an adult-looking finger painting.

Projects for Preschoolers

Teach your child about leaves changing color during autumn while he makes a fingerprint art tree. Cut a circular pattern in poster board with an approximate 4-inch diameter for the treetop. Cut two slits across from one another in one end of a toilet paper roll to create a tree trunk. Provide your child with a paint palate, including green, brown, red, yellow and orange. Your child's fingerprints will make leaves on the treetop. When the paint dries, slide the treetop into the tree trunk. Other projects include fingerprint flowers and caterpillars.

Projects for Older Children

Older children often prefer to work with ink stamp pads to decorate gift tags, cards, bookmarks and stationery with fingerprint art. To create fingerprint art, press a finger onto the ink pad and then onto the paper. Fingerprints can then be transformed into pictures, such as aliens, animals, balloons, faces and flowers. Draw details such as an alien's face, flower petals or a balloon string with a marker. Children can also decorate clothing or glass jar vases with paint using fingerprints.

References

• American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children: Hand and Finger Skills of Your Preschooler
• "Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art"; Susan Striker; 2001

Resources

• The Activity Idea Place: Fingerprint Fun
• Disney Family Fun: Fingerprint Fruits and Flowers
• Kaboose: Fingerprint Flower Vase