Are you looking for a fun and easy cardinal craft for your kids to make? This winter handprint cardinal craft makes for a wonderful display; it’s quick to make, and kids get to use the most fun paintbrush to make them – their own hands. Who doesn’t love an art project that’s just a little bit messy?
It’s a perfect winter craft idea that can be easily made at home or in the classroom with a larger group of kids.
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We do love a good handprint art and these sweet cardinals are a perfect subject to make with handprints. Just press your hand and add a couple of details and you have a wonderful piece of kids art.
How to Make the Winter Handprint Cardinal Craft
What you need:
- brown cardstock
- non toxic paints (brown, white, red, black, and yellow)
Step by Step Tutorial
For the background we’ll need a sheet of cardstock. You can cut a cereal box and use that as a canvas (great way to recycle them) or use a sheet of construction paper. Brown is great, blue is wonderful, any other color works just as well.
Draw the branches – you can use watercolors, acrylic paints, markers or crayons. Anything works for this part.
Have them create a snowy effect by painting a few white areas on top of the branches.
Tip: a white chalk marker is great for this.
Now, we need a volunteer hand or two! This one can be made as a parent-child project as well, using both your and your child’s handprints.
First, have your kids paint one of their hands red. Assist them, if necessary.
The first cardinal bird will stand on the right branch, so have them press their painted hand above it with their thumb facing upward.
The second cardinal bird will face the other one, so have them apply paint on their other hand and press their hand above the left branch.
The bodies of the red cardinal birds are ready. Let’s add the final details.
Draw a tiny black dot for the eye. Using a marker is easiest, but it can be painted with a paintbrush as well. You could also use googly eyes or googly eye stickers.
With yellow paint, have them paint the beaks of each cardinal bird.
Paint their legs, too.
A few tiny details, such as small white dots in their eyes, and the cardinals are done!
The winter handprint cardinal craft is ready to be displayed on your classroom’s walls or on a fridge in your home.
Hope your kids will have fun making these.
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