My littlest one and I made this butterfly handprint art together. I created a free printable template to share so that you could too!
The idea of this template is to use the caterpillar/butterfly body as the centre of your handprint wings. The quote at the base of the artwork is a sweet sentiment, making it the perfect handmade gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparent's Day or any other special reason.
This is my kind of craft with minimal supplies, which you may already have around the house. Within the centre of your template is the butterfly body, he's so cute with his sweet little grin. I've made him yellow as hopefully, this is a colour that will contrast with most paint selections.
Within the template, I have also included the phrase “You make my heart flutter”. I love puns and think this is such a sweet touch to a meaningful craft for someone special.
A Visual Merriment is reader supported and this post may contain some product affiliate links. From these, I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase. Read more about how affiliate links are handled in my Terms & Conditions.
Supplies
- Acrylic Paint (or AU) in your preferred colours. I used blue and green.
- Paintbrush (or AU)
- Free Printable Butterfly Template
Downloading + printing the butterfly template
You can get the printable template at the link above or from the big green button at the end of this post. You will need to sign up to receive the password and you'll also get access to the complete free printables library when you do.
To put my son's handprint size into perspective, my boys are big boys for their age. So whilst my son was 5 when we did this craft, his handprint is probably as large as that of many 6-7 year olds.
The template is formatted to fit into an 8×10″ frame. So this isn't just something for the fridge, you can actually frame your child's artwork and give it as a gift. You can print to A4 or US Letter 8.5×11″. Just be sure to have your printer settings set to print to ‘Actual Size' so that it will print to the intended size and fit an 8×10″ frame.
As far as paper selection goes, I would recommend printing on something heavier than copy paper, with a nice smooth finish. At least 120-150gsm A4 / 32lb paper 8.5×11″ would do it. Definitely don't use textured paper though, this will make the paint difficult to adhere to. If all you have is regular copy paper (80gsm) then that would still do the job, however in my opinion it is too thin and lacking in quality. You could get away with using it, just that the paper won't hold the paint as well nor will it be as vibrant.
Making your butterfly handprint art
I wasn't able to take progress photos for this DIY however it is fairly self-explanatory plus I have the video below that you can watch!
Step #1 Paint your child's hand
I chose to use two different colour paints – blue and green. You could use one colour or even one colour for each butterfly wing. If you are painting two colours on the hand, you can choose where the paint ends however I thought it would be easier for my son to sit still if I painted all of his fingers in green and his palm in blue.
One thing I did learn from this craft is that your children may be super keen to do this but when it comes down to it, they can get finicky. Remember that sensory issues are real and they can make this craft uncomfortable for some kiddos. My eldest boy couldn't have sat through this art session. His senses would have been raging with the coldness of the paint and feeling the brush strokes on his hands. For many children, it won't be an issue but please bear that in mind.
Step #2 Creating your first butterfly wing
Once you have painted the whole hand, flip it over and line it up with the butterfly's body. Press gently (but firmly) all over the hand to ensure as much of the paint is transferred to the paper. Side note… if gently but firmly wasn't a thing, then I'm making it one now! (insert evil chuckle). You do, however, need to be gentle and slow when pulling the hand up from the paper.
Step #3 Rinse and repeat
Once you have created your first butterfly wing, wash your kiddo's hand. It does seem tedious but well, children will be children and having two painted hands flying around is just asking for trouble in my opinion. All you need to do now is paint the other hand and imprint it on the other side of your butterfly body.
As an alternate suggestion, you could also add some glitter to the paint as soon as you've imprinted it onto the page. I didn't even think about this at the time, although I don't think my boys would have been too keen on sparkles. I would have absolutely loved it though!
Gifting your handprint artwork
Once your butterfly handprint art is dry, you can now cut it to fit an 8×10″ frame. I love the versatility of this kid's craft. It's great as a home school activity, an actual classroom activity, or simply a meaningful gift that can be made at home. It will be treasured for years to come!
Printables in the freebies library are for personal use but if you wish to use this template for your class, then you are more than welcome to do so. I do have copyright limitations on what you can use my free printables for, view these in the footer of my website or in my terms and conditions.
I would love to know if you have created this artwork with your children, grandchildren or your class. How did it go? Leave a comment in the section below!
Free printable butterfly handprint art below:
Other resources you may like:
FREEBIE: Cute Mom/Mum + Me Mother's Day Booklet
FREEBIE: Free Printable Kid's Puzzles
ARTICLE: How to a Make Shrinky Dink Handprint Keychain
ARTICLE: Mother's Day Gift Tag Craft for Kids (Free Printable)
SHOP: Mother/Grandmother Activities + Father/Grandfather Activities
