handprint tradition

Some of you have tradition-related goals for this year. I love that. It's one of my goals as well. Thought I'd share one of our favorite family traditions, which we started when Porter was a baby. For each child's birthday we do handprints on canvas. This is Porter's collection.



How to do it: Paint the base first (regular acrylic paint that you can find at the craft store), then paint his/her hand with a different color of paint. Very carefully help them press their hand down on the canvas, pressing on each part of the hand and every finger. Then on the count of three, we lift the hand off the canvas quickly - like taking off a bandaid. Of course it's much easier as your kids get older. Trying to get a one-year-old to spread their fingers, etc. is no easy task.

I totally have a vision of this collage of handprints on our kids' walls when they're older. For now, we have them on a shelf in the playroom and they're seriously one of my very favorite treasures.

PS - Those little easels (holding some of Porter's art below the handprints) are from Michael's. Check your local craft store in the picture/frame/art/easel department.

Added note: While the paint is already on the child's hand, have them do a few more handprints on cardstock so that you have that for their scrapbook, or the family scrapbook, or who knows what you might want it for. But you can't go back and do handprints from when they're younger.