This super easy Easter egg handprint craft definitely needs to be a part of your Easter activities for preschoolers. Toddlers and early elementary age kids are sure to get a kick out of it, too! You don’t need that many materials for the egg hand print, making it very low-prep.
You can use this Easter handprint art as a small group or center time creative project kids take home for the holiday. Or have the children work together to string their Easter egg hand prints together to decorate the classroom with some DIY bunting. Either way, your students will end up with some colorful art this spring.
Related: Spring Activities for Preschoolers
Through the years, I’ve enjoyed working with my students to make a piece of hand print art each month of the school year. At the end of the year, I include them as part of each child’s preschool portfolio or memory book.
In the past, we’ve made shamrock, leprechaun, and bunny hand prints. But in 2013, I wanted to try something a little different. And that’s how this Easter handprint art was born!
Easter Egg Handprint Craft
Read below for how we’ve made the hand print Easter eggs over the years, along with some tips for doing this with young children.
How to Prep for the Hand Print Easter Art
Start off by gathering the supplies you need, which really isn’t much. In fact, you might have everything on-hand already. (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.)
- Paint
- Paper plates or paint cups
- Paintbrushes
- White cardstock
- Scissors
Once you have all of your materials, it’s time to set up for the Easter egg handprint craft. Start off by mixing up some pastel colors if you don’t have any store-bought pastels. You can even get the kids involved in this part of the process!
The first time I did this, some of the children were interested in how I created the pastel paints. This led to a quick color mixing lesson. We talked about how mixing white with other colors creates pastels. Some decided to help create the pastels, while others preferred to watch.
After the paints are ready to go, it’s time to make some handprint art with the kids!
How to Make Easter Egg Handprints
I prefer to do this one-on-one with the students. Call a child over and help them paint the palm of one hand, as well as four fingers. But don’t paint the thumb! Assist with gently placing the hand, with fingers straight out and pressed together, on a piece of cardstock. You’ll have the impression of an “egg” on the paper.
After the hand print is dry, invite the children to decorate their Easter eggs with paintbrushes. My students really seemed to enjoy painting designs and patterns on their hand prints. We ended up having a nice discussion about colors and patterns along the way.
Related: Easter Egg Activities
If your students just love painting with their hands, you can let them make additional Easter egg handprints. If you have enough time and materials, of course.
Once the hand prints are dry, cut them out in an egg shape. You can definitely have the students help with this part, as you see fit.
Here are a few tips to make this process go smoothly:
- Make sure each child enjoys painting with their hands. Some might not be up for it, and that’s okay. You can come up with an alternative for those uninterested in painted hands.
- Have some unscented baby wipes nearby to take off the excess paint. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a sink in your classroom.
- Protect surfaces and clothes from paint as needed. Tablecloths, trays, and smocks are super helpful!
- Place the pieces of cardstock on a drying rack for speedier drying.
What to Do with the Completed Easter Egg Handprint Craft
As I mentioned earlier, you can use the hand print Easter eggs a few different ways. Here are some possibilities:
- Use them in the kids’ portfolios/memory books. We had the children write about their hand print eggs. Then we put the handprint craft, the writing sample, and a picture from the month on one page of the children’s portfolios.
- Send the handprint art home with your children to share with their families immediately.
- Let the kids use the handprint eggs as part of an Easter card for friends and family. This is another way to add some literacy to the craft.
- Make an Easter bunting for the classroom by stringing the eggs together with a piece of yarn. You can then hang the bunting up somewhere in your classroom during the month.
- Grab some simple Easter baskets and grass. Have the children put multiple handprint eggs into the baskets to make centerpieces for a special meal together.
Would your students enjoy this Easter egg handprint craft? How would you use the adorable hand prints in your classroom?
More Easter Handprint Art
I’ve got a few more ideas if you need even more Easter handprint ideas:
- Easter Handprint and Photo Keepsake
- Handprint Easter Bunny
- Bunny Handprint Art
- Handprint Chick Puppets
- Handprint Easter Lamb
And be sure to pop over to my Easter Preschool Activities Pinterest board for more Easter ideas for the kids.
Early Childhood Easter Resources
Spring can be a SUPER busy time in the classroom, right?! If you want to save yourself a lot of planning time, let Preschool Teacher 101 help! We have lesson plans, math and literacy activities, dramatic play packs, math and literacy games, and so much more.
Click on the images below to learn more about these fun Easter themed resources!
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Originally published March 16, 2013.
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