Handprint Reindeer

What you need

• brown paint on a paper plate
• a sheet of paper
• a crayon
• a damp cloth

How to do it

1. Help your toddler press one hand flat into the paint on the plate.
2. Press their hand onto the paper with the fingers spread out wide: those are the antlers.
3. Wipe their hand with the damp cloth, then draw a face under the antlers with the crayon while they watch.
4. Let them add a red dot for the nose with a fingertip, or with the crayon.

Why it matters

Paint on their own hand is a big new feeling, and the print you make together keeps a picture of how small that hand is this December.

What they're learning

Sensory confidence

Feeling cool, wet paint on their hand at their own pace helps them get used to new textures.

Spreading fingers

Opening the hand wide and pressing it flat is good practice in moving fingers on purpose.

Making marks

A print and a dot are marks they made, the very first step towards drawing.

What to look for

Watch whether they spread their fingers wide or keep a fist. Either makes a lovely reindeer.

A tip

Use washable paint, have the damp cloth ready before the paint comes out, and roll sleeves right up.

More like this

Tissue Paper Rain from 12 months · 10-15 min Pine Cone Basket from 12 months · 5-10 min Foam First from 16 months · 5-10 min Barefoot on the Grass from 12 months · 5-10 min