19 easy and adorable handprint crafts for toddlers and preschoolers to make this fall.
Fall is just around the corner, and if you have toddlers or preschoolers you’ll want simple, seasonal projects to enjoy together. Handprint crafts are a favourite — they’re tactile, quick to make, and create keepsakes that parents and caregivers treasure.
Below you’ll find 19 charming handprint ideas for autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day. Each project is suitable for daycare, Sunday school, the classroom or home, and many can be adapted for a range of ages and abilities.
Kids love the messy, playful process of painting their hands and turning a print into a recognizable image, and adults love having a little piece of childhood to keep. Click the project titles or the images where available for step-by-step instructions and extra tips.
Click through on the links under the photos to get the detailed instructions for each craft.
19 Handprint Crafts for Fall:
Skeleton handprints are a fun, spooky option and can be made with simple supplies like paper plates, paint and recycled trays. Young children enjoy making the prints and adding bone details with cotton swabs or paint pens.
A handprint owl is a lovely autumn project: the handprint becomes wings, and children can add eyes, feathers and a beak. Owls are a seasonal favourite and work well for painting, collage and mixed media.
Try a Q‑tip skeleton hand to practise fine motor skills while creating a Halloween decoration. Q‑tips make neat, even bones and are easy for little hands to place.
Handprint spiders on painted webs are always a hit. The process of making the web — sometimes with rolling balls or splatter techniques — adds a playful, sensory element that kids love.
Handprint leaves capture the colour and shape of autumn. Children can make single leaves or create a colourful collage of many prints. A handprint leaf wreath makes a beautiful group project for classrooms or playgroups.
Acorn handprints are a fun way to explore nature-themed crafts. Kids can paint their handprints to form the acorn shapes and add details with markers, paper or natural materials.
It’s apple season — try a tactile tissue-and-button apple tree where children glue crumpled tissue for leaves and add buttons or beads as apples. Simpler options include paper plate apples with handprint leaves perfect for toddlers.
A back-to-school apple handprint with the date makes a meaningful first-day keepsake. Add the child’s name and year to personalise the piece.
Monster hands are playful and great for sensory exploration — glue on dried beans, lentils or fabric scraps to add texture. For a science twist, freeze water in a glove overnight to make “icy hands” and let kids experiment with melting them using salt and warm water.
For Remembrance Day, fingerprint poppies are a respectful and simple craft—children can use their fingertips or stamps to create poppy shapes and add a black centre. Sunflower handprints are another great fall option that work well as a collaborative display.
Big, bold handprint sunflowers can be stamped and splattered for expressive art, while smaller handprint versions are excellent for group projects and classroom walls.
Pumpkin handprint art fits both Halloween and harvest themes. Try handprint pumpkins on gift bags or greeting cards — they’re adorable as party favours or classroom keepsakes and easy for toddlers to help make.
Handprint trees are classic autumn crafts: crumpled tissue or painted handprints create falling leaves, and children can practise layering colours for a vibrant display. You can also explore negative-space techniques to create striking silhouettes from handprints.
Thanksgiving handprint turkeys remain a perennial favourite. Use colourful paint for the feathers and add googly eyes or drawn details. Cardboard roll turkeys can double as table decorations or napkin rings for a festive touch.
These handprint projects cover the whole season — from back-to-school and harvest to Halloween and Thanksgiving. They’re easy to adapt for groups, materials on hand, and different skill levels.
More fall crafts your kids will love:
Explore additional seasonal collections to keep the creativity going: lists of fall crafts, tree projects, and easy Halloween ideas make planning simple and fun.
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