Make this sentimental handprint butterfly craft this spring. A keepsake the kids can decorate with colorful spring or summer colors and you can cherish forever.
Easy Handprint Butterfly Craft
Try this craft idea to capture your child’s sweet handprints and create forever memories together. Kids will love embellishing their butterfly handprint painting, and you’ll love the keepsake to hang on the wall or fridge at home. Spring crafts are always a cheerful welcome after a long winter, like this pipe cleaner flower craft, paper plate lamb craft, or Melted Crayon Flower Sun Catcher
What You’ll Love About this
- Kids can turn this handprint art into a craft by adding fun embellishments like stickers, buttons, or gems.
- It is a cheerful spring or summer craft to display
Supplies You’ll Need
- Card stock – I like to use white, but a nice sky blue color would be perfect for this butterfly handprint.
- Acrylic Paint – Have enough to cover both of your child’s hands or more for more than one kid
- A sponge paintbrush or regular child’s paintbrush
- A paper plate or container to hold the paint \
- Painter Markers – I used black, but you can use something more colorful. Just be sure it is dark enough to contrast the butterfly wings and go over them.
- Optional: Embellishments like self-adhesive gems, foam stickers, and crayons for coloring in a sun or a rainbow, perhaps
Instructions
Using a thick or sponge paintbrush, apply paint liberally to your hands, getting all of the cracks and crevices. Apply a little extra in the hollow area of the palm.
Have kids put their hands facing outward but meeting in the middle. You can do this one hand at a time or do both simultaneously.
You may need to press down on their fingers and palms to apply the paint.
While holding their hand down on the paper, pull their forearm toward their hand so their hand really presses down flat.
Pull the hand straight up.
Let the paint dry. Acrylic paint should not take too long to dry. To speed it up, you can use a hair dryer.
Draw a butterfly body and antenna in the middle of the palm prints using a paint marker.
Kids can decorate their butterflies with stickers, beads, buttons, or by coloring in spots.
Expert Tips
In all of my years of making handprint art with my kids, I found that getting them to hold their hands out and letting paint was way easier than dipping their hands into paint. Plus, the paint never reaches the entire palm or the crevices of their fingers. It also allows you to control the amount of paint. Paint it on thick for a vibrant handprint.
If you do decide to let them put their hands into a plate full of paint, then having a paintbrush to get the places not covered completely by paint is a good idea.
Use a hair dryer to speed up paint drying time
FAQs
Acrylic paint is the best to use when making handprint art with the kids. It is easily washed from their tiny hands and non-porous surfaces.
While holding their wrist with one hand, use a thick brush or a sponge brush to apply paint to your child’s hand liberally. Apply a little thick paint in the hollows of the palm and the joints of the fingers.
Make sure you have applied paint liberally to the hand, getting all the way to the tips of the fingers and over the palm. Gently guide your child’s hand to the canvas and firmly push it down. Press each finger down, pressing down from the top to the bottom. Push the palm down and pull the forearm forward so the hand is flat against the canvas. Pull their hand straight up and wipe with a wet paper towel.
More Handprint Crafts You’ll Enjoy
Let’s Hang Out
Printable Instructions
Easy Handprint Butterfly
Materials
- Card stock – I like to use white, but a nice sky blue color would be perfect for this butterfly handprint
- Acrylic Paint – Have enough to cover both of your child's hands or more for more than one kid
- A sponge paintbrush or regular child's paintbrush
- A paper plate or container to hold the paint
- Painter Markers – I used black, but you can use something more colorful. Just be sure it is dark enough to contrast the butterfly wings and go over them.
- Embellishments like self-adhesive gems, foam stickers, and crayons for coloring in a sun or a rainbow, perhaps Optional:
Instructions
- Using a thick or sponge paintbrush, apply paint liberally to your hands, getting all of the cracks and crevices. Apply a thicker amount to the h0llows of their palms
- Have kids put their hands facing outward but meeting in the middle. You can do this one hand at a time or do both simultaneously.
- It's a good idea to firmly push the palms down toward the cardstock and press each finger down to transfer the paint
- While holding their hand down on the paper, pull their forearm toward their hand so their hand really presses down flat.
- Pull the hand straight up
- Let the paint dry. Acrylic paint should not take too long to dry. To speed it up, you can use a hair dryer.
- Draw a butterfly body and antenna in the middle of the palm prints using a paint marker.
- Kids can decorate their butterflies with stickers, beads, buttons, or by coloring in spots.
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.Com –
