Here’s a super simple, but super fun!, early learning activity for your toddlers and preschoolers. I’ve been making these with my son since birth and it’s been a fun progression watching him take on more of the project himself each time.
First, you’ll need a finger painted background to use for the cut out hearts. For easy cleanup, I use washable acrylic paint sealed in a ziploc bag. Carter likes to help me dot the paint on the card stock and then I seal it in a bag.
After that, I let him get busy squishing the paint around.
Sometimes things get pretty creative.
As soon as he’s finished, I open the ziploc bag and tear it down both sides to gently separate the card stock from the bag. You’ll want to do this before the paint is dry so that the card stock doesn’t stick to the bag and tear.
This part alone is pretty enough to hang on the refrigerator, but we cut them into hearts to complete our Valentine’s Day art.
Then we made handprint stamps using washable ink pads. You can also do this part with paint, but I prefer the look of stamps because they keep more of the fine details. Ink is also less messy.
Finally, attach the cutout hearts with a glue dots so it looks like the hands are holding the heart. These make such a great keepsake and gift for parents, grandparents, or other caregivers!
If you need to grab a printable that’s ready to go, I’ve uploaded this one to my shop. Print it as many times as you need.
Looking for other handprint and footprint craft ideas? Visit our family blog for many more.
