VBS Crafts: LOVE Handprint & Footprint Canvas Painting

This LOVE handprint & footprint canvas painting is a meaningful keepsake for families (and is also a great gift for holidays)!

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Supplies

• Blank canvases (I used 11×14 because it’s what I had on hand. You can use any size that’s large enough to fit the handprints and footprints of your kiddos.)
• Matte finish acrylic paint
• Letter stencils
• Foam paint brushes (1 per student)
• Paper plates (1 per student – for paint)
• Baby wipes

Since this craft involves acrylic paint (which won’t come off carpet or clothes easily once it’s dry), I’d suggest either covering your craft area floors and tables with plastic dropcloth or doing this craft outside! I’d use plastic chairs in the craft area. They’ll easily wipe clean using cleaning wipes while the paint is still wet.

Instructions

• If you’re doing this craft in one sitting, I’d suggest painting the background color of the canvas ahead of time (I used gray acrylic paint because I had it on hand and it matches our decor. Any matte finish acrylic paint will work – do NOT use glossy finish! I used it on one canvas and it didn’t work well with the stencil and layers of paint.)
• If you’d like, you can also paint the L and E ahead of time so your kiddos just have to add handprint and footprints (depending on the age of your kids and how much time you have available). I created my own letter stencils using my Silhouette Cameo machine and laminating sleeves, but you can also use pre-made stencils – whatever size fits your canvas well. My letters are approximately 5″ tall.

• Paint each kid’s right hand using white acrylic paint and a foam paintbrush. Apply a generous amount of paint to make sure their whole handprint shows up. Help them stamp their hand in the top right corner of the canvas, then gently lift their hand straight up off the canvas (hopefully without smearing).
• Students can clean their painted hand using a baby wipe.
• Have the student sit in a chair. Paint one foot using white paint and a foam paintbrush. Sit the canvas on the floor in front of their chair. Guide their foot onto the bottom left corner of the canvas at an angle, then have them stand up to apply pressure for a few seconds. Have the student sit back down, then gently lift their foot straight up.
• Students can clean their painted foot using a baby wipe.
• Repeat the foot painting process with the second foot.

• Once the canvas is finished, you can either let students wash their hands in the bathroom (and they can wash their feet at home), or if you’re doing the craft outdoors they could wash their hands and feet with a hose.
• Wipe down any paint from your tables or chairs now using cleaning wipes. It should wipe right off plastic surfaces while it’s still wet.
• Throw away the foam paintbrush after each student… since it’s used on both their hands and feet, this will prevent the spread of any germs between kids.

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