This Fingerprint Christmas Lights Photo Frame Makes the Best Gift

Inside: Learn how to make fingerprint Christmas lights into a photo frame with children.

Oh how I love to let the kids use their fingerprints and hand prints to create in the classroom! It’s always fun to see what the children make.

This particular creation is one of my favorite Christmas gifts for kids to make their parents. It’s a simple frame with fingerprint Christmas lights and corresponding photos – what’s not to love?

Help Kids Make a Fingerprint Christmas Lights Frame

Children have made fingerprint Christmas lights art for many, many years. There’s just something about painting their fingertips and making art that most kids seem to enjoy.

If you haven’t yet, let the kids use their hands and fingers to make their own art independently. This particular Christmas gift takes a little bit of adult guidance, though I encourage you to let the children take the lead.

What you need to make photo frames with fingerprint Christmas lights

Wooden frames to house 4×6 photos (I got mine at a local craft store for $1 each)
Acrylic paint (we used white, blue, green, orange, and red)
Christmas lights
Santa hat
Camera

How to make the frame

Have the children paint the frame white. One coat worked well for us, but that might depend on which kind of paint you use.

Obviously, since the kiddos painted the frames, they weren’t “perfect”. To me, those little imperfections make gifts like this even more special!

Once the white has dried (we let ours dry overnight), add the fingerprint Christmas lights.

I let the children do most of this part by themselves. Yes, I was sitting next to them in case they needed my assistance. Some needed help, but most were fine on their own.

After the fingerprint Christmas lights have dried, add the “strings”. I used black permanent marker and connected the kids’ fingerprints the best I could. I added little swirls and loops while I did so.

Add the kids’ names and the date. Using a fine point black permanent marker, I added each child’s name to the top of the frame. I wrote “2014” at the bottom of each frame, too.

Place each child’s photo inside the frame, let the kids wrap it all up, and send it home. 🙂

Directions for the “wrapped up in lights” photos

I must admit, I had SO MUCH FUN taking these pictures! The kids and I had our own “photo shoot”, and they seemed pretty entertained as well!

My only concern was that some of them would tell their parents, “Miss Mary Catherine tied me up in Christmas lights!”

Choose a background for the photo. I didn’t want to have the white classroom walls in the picture, so I made my own “backdrop.”

I grabbed a length of green butcher paper and hung it on the wall with some tape. Nothing fancy, but it worked!

Get the kiddos geared up! For the photos, I wrapped the children in white Christmas lights. Colorful lights would work well, too, but the white lights are the only ones I had on-hand at school.

Then I placed a Santa cap on each child’s head, and we were ready to go!

Plug the lights in and snap away!

I referenced Snap Happy Mom’s guest post about taking photos by the Christmas tree (on Let’s Lasso the Moon) to help with camera settings. I ended up adjusting them as I went along, but the tips from the post helped.

Do you have any suggestions for Christmas gifts for kids to make for their families? Anything with fingerprints, hand prints, or pictures? If so, I’d love for you to share them in the comments below!!

If you happen to make fingerprint Christmas lights frames, I would love to see some photos shared on Fun-A-Day’s Facebook page!