Handprint crafts are crafts that are made to display an individual’s (usually a child’s) handprints. Handprint crafts can be almost anything that you make using your hands and even your feet as a medium for the art. The first thing that many people think of when they think of handprint crafts is the hand and footprints that are captured in the hospital when a baby is newly born. These types of handprints can be captured in numerous ways. Many times the standard procedure of the hospital is to take an ink print of the hands and the feet of a new baby. If the hospital does not do this, the parents typically get some type of ink kit from a craft or even baby supply store to create these hand and feet prints themselves.
Handprint crafts certainly are not limited to the medium of paper. There are all kinds of handprint crafts done in ceramic clay, fabric, 3D sculpture, and even glass etching, just to name a few. Handprint crafts are also not just for newborns. Part of the appeal of handprint crafts is that parents have keepsakes of their children as they grow and develop through all stages of life. Looking at the handprints of their growing children is not only nostalgic but it is an excellent way to track growth, have fun being creative with your kids, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Decoration
Handprint crafts make excellent nursery, holiday and fridge decorations. There are all kinds of creative creatures that can be made simply by using your child’s handprints. For example, a Thanksgiving turkey can be made by taking multiple cutouts of the shape of your child’s hand and using them as the feathers on the turkey. Handprints can also be used as reindeer antlers or even as gift tags for relatives. Creating handprint decorations and crafts is also fun because it allows your children to really “get their hands dirty.” You want to do these crafts because of the memories. Your kids will want to make these handcrafts because they are fun to do.
Precious memories
Nostalgic purposes are the main reasons why parents want to do handprint crafts. Kids don’t stay little for as long as parents would like them to. So a good way of immortalizing the memories of those tiny hands and feet is through handprint and footprint crafts.
Safety
Identification of children is becoming a more serious concern with parents. In our ever changing world with increased rates of crime, including the abduction of children, parents need a way that they can positively identify children and provide police with extremely accurate physically descriptive information. Handprints are the easiest and nearly the most exact way of distinguishing your child from all the others. As no two handprints are the same, having handprint crafts or even just an inked handprint could prove invaluable to you if something unfortunate were to happen to your little one. Most police and fire departments offer free handprint kits. The idea is that that you can use these kits to copy your child’s prints and have them available to police in case the unimaginable should happen and authorities need help in identifying your child as quickly as possible.
Gifts
Handprint gifts are also ideal for distant relatives who may not see your children as often as they or you would like. Handprint crafts are very personal and can show your far-away family just how much your children have grown. Handprint gifts are also appropriate for any holiday as handprints can be used to make a number of different kinds of figures, pictures, and three dimensional art pieces. No two handprint gifts are the same and your relatives will appreciate the thought of your gift.