15 Handprint Christmas Cards To Make With Your Little One

Seriously cute handprint Christmas cards for you to make with your little one! 

Who can resist a homemade card and especially one with those little hands and fingers preserved forever!  Okay, so it’s got the potential to get a little messy.  But these handprint ideas are surprisingly easy to create.  And they make the ideal keepsake card for family and friends.  (The behind-the-scenes photos will work perfectly for the 18th birthday reel too!)

We’ve rounded up 15 of our favourite Christmas card handprints ideas.  Whether you are looking for a simple one-hand design or a multi-hand masterpiece from the whole family, there’s something for everyone.  Which will you try?

Please remember that all activities below require adult supervision.  Have fun & keep safe.

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Before we start looking at the handprint Christmas cards themselves, here’s a few tips on how best to get a handprint:

WHAT PAINT SHOULD I USE

Use a non-toxic water-based paint such as these from Crayola.  Not only is this kinder to your little one’s skin and easier to wash off afterwards, it is also a thinner paint and will therefore show more of the cute details in the handprint.

Most of the paints on the market say they are safe to use from 36 months.  Do be careful using on younger children and ensure you supervise constantly to avoid paint going where it shouldn’t!

If you prefer, you could use an inkpad instead.  Baker Ross make giant pads specifically for prints.  Find them here.  They are very easy to use and less messy.  However they are also a little more expensive (and the pads can dry out more quickly).

The last option to consider is an inkless wipe such as these.  They are suitable for babies and by far the least messy.  However the colour selection is very limited and you need to use the specific paper provided.

How To Apply The Paint

Whilst squeezing some paint onto a plate and pressing your little one’s hand directly into this sounds fun, it can result in too much paint on the hand. 

To get the best quality print, apply the paint directly to the hand with a paint brush. 

Alternatively, you could put the paint on a large sponge and press your little one’s hand onto the sponge.

How To Get The Print

We should warn you that it can be very tricky to get a good handprint from a very little one (footprints are easier).  You may actually have the best chance when they are sleeping.

If you do decide to give it a go, we would definitely recommend having a second adult on hand to assist and get everything ready to go (including wipes and water for cleaning!) before you apply the paint or ink!

Probably the most classic of all the handprint Christmas cards: the reindeer!  You can of course use the hand as the face with the fingers pointing upwards as antlers.  However we love this cute variation with the finger legs and thumb face from Messy Little Monster.  The sparkly jewel red nose and googly eyes add brilliant finishing touches too.

Even with handprints, we can choose which kind of Christmas tree we prefer!  Will your little one opt for a slimline (hand together) or a bushy full profile (fingers apart)?  Miles & Ella at Growing Up Gabel beautifully display the options here.

How cute are these robin red-breasts by The Gingerbread House?  By using two colours painted on the palm of the hand, you can create a fabulous effect for your little one’s handprint Christmas cards.

Create this Christmas icon with your little one and have fun deciding on what facial expression to add.  All the details can be found at Preschool Crafts for Kids.

This double hand print has been turned into an angel so effectively and easily by A Little Pinch of Perfect.  What a clever and beautiful idea.

Aren’t these brilliant from Dolled Up Design?  Using just a portion of the palm and all four fingers makes for such a cheery design.  We think these make great handprint Christmas cards from slightly older children (larger fingers!) who can then enjoy giving each of the snowmen characters with the added details painted or drawn on.

Create elves in either direction with these fun designs by Simply Full of Delight.  Which one do you prefer?  We love the fingerprint lights detail too to add some more colour to the card design.

Are you a fan of the Grinch?  This multi-coloured design by I Heart Arts N Crafts could be just the ticket? 

We think these penguins from Red Ted Art‘s handprint alphabet would make great card designs.  Using felt / foam / paper and googly eyes for the details makes it into a great tactile project for little ones too.

Similar to the reindeer idea above, these polar bears from Learn Create Love would make fabulous handprint Christmas cards.

Aren’t these just adorable?!  Whether you have two children to include with a card or just want to capture two hands, we think this holly design from Learning Lessons In Mummyography is perfect for a Christmas card!

Combine those footprints and handprints to make this fabulous Santa’s sleight creation!  We think it would be brilliant for a younger sibling’s footprint and older sibling’s reindeer handprint joint card.  Thanks to The Parenting Patch for the inspiration!

Looking for a design to incorporate the whole family? Or simply want to create a larger card or piece of festive artwork?  This Christmas tree creation by Joyfully Restored could be just the ticket.

Spread The Word!

Like what you’ve seen? Be sure to share with your friends.

Let’s sprinkle Christmas cheer far and wide!

This two-tone wreath design from Risa’s Pieces of Art is so striking and yet so simple to create.

A simple fun handprint Christmas card design.  The beauty of snowflakes is of course that every flake is unique so you can enjoy creating different designs each time!  Thanks to Splish Splash Splatter Art for the inspiration.

Let us know which handprint Christmas cards you decide to create.

If you’d like more inspiration, be sure to check out our footprint and fingerprint card ideas too.