Every month, I use my students’ hands to create keepsake art. I then have the children tell me a story about the picture. We then work together to write the story, or I write their story for them. These are saved until the end of the year, when I create a preschool portfolio of their art and writing. For January this year, each child made a winter hand print tree.
snowy fun with a winter hand print tree
Amazon links are included below.
Materials
Brown tempera paint
White tempera paint
Light blue construction paper
Pretend snow (leftover from our Arctic Sensory Bin)
Directions
1. Paint child’s hand with brown paint. (Optional: paint child’s forearm, too.)
2. Place child’s hand, paint-side down, on the blue construction paper. Press down slightly.
3. Either press down on child’s painted forearm, too, or use a paint brush to create the “trunk”.
4. Have child paint snow on the ground, if desired, using the white paint.
5. Have child dip her finger into the white paint and use painted fingers to create snowflakes.
6. Sprinkle some pretend snow on the still-wet white paint. Shake off excess.
This is a great time to talk with children about how trees change with the seasons. Of course, this will likely depend on where you live! My students and I had a nice discussion about which trees had lost all of their leaves for the winter (and which didn’t). Using art to teach other concepts works really well in preschool! 🙂
The boys and girls did this little project their own way. When asked, most didn’t want their forearms painted, so I just added the “tree trunks”. They ALL enjoyed adding the snow to the picture! Most of them used their fingers for the snowflakes, but some didn’t feel like it. They wanted to use paint brushes instead, so I let them do just that.
After each child painted their wintry tree, I let everything dry. The trees are currently decorating our classroom, but we’ll write about them soon. I made sure to give the kids free painting time with the leftover brown and white paint. It’s always fun to see what they create, even if they only have two colors to choose from.
Have you made a winter hand print tree with your kids/students?
Preschool Snow Lesson Plans
If you’re looking for more snow-themed lesson plan ideas, be sure to check out our plans for the preschool classroom and homeschooling preschool. They’re chock full of a week’s worth of hands-on learning activities (and bonus printables).
More hand print art from Fun-A-Day
Fall Hand Print Art – Exploring Negative Space with Kids
Apple Hand Print Tree
“Duck on a Bike” Hand Print
Easter Egg Hand Prints
Child-Made Fingerprint Flowerpot
Hand Print Art for Thanksgiving
Preschool Fall Hand Print Tree
Pinterest Boards Devoted to Hand Print Art
Hand, Feet, and Finger Prints from Craftulate
Hand Prints from Fun-A-Day!
Handprint Art from Teach Preschool
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