Monster Hands Crafts for Preschoolers
This easy monster handprint craft is a tactile Halloween craft for toddlers and preschoolers. Kids will have fun exploring interesting materials and developing their fine motor skills while decorating spooky monster hands for Halloween.
My daycare kids love making handprint crafts, so I came up with another fun Halloween handprint craft for them to make today.
These monster hands were so easy to make, but the toddlers and preschoolers really had fun making them.
I got the idea for a monster hand craft when I was looking at the handprint fall trees we made the other day.
We used brown wallpaper samples to make our handprint trees, and it occurred to me that green wallpaper samples would make pretty cool monster hands.
I just needed to figure out a way to decorate the monster hands so I rooted through the craft cupboard and found a few bits and pieces that would be perfect. We could use lentils to give our monster hands a “warty” and foam pieces to make sharp, pointy fingernails.
You may also like our adorable Halloween Witch Craft.
At the last minute, I thought about adding bandaids because hey, kids love peeling the paper off bandaids and sticking them to things.
This was such a lovely tactile craft for the toddlers and preschoolers. There was interesting paper in different colours and textures, and a variety of lentils for their little hands to explore.
Just be sure to supervise closely if you have little ones who might be tempted to put the lentils in their mouth.
To Make Your Monster Handprint Craft, You’ll Need:
- green paper (preferably textured)
- dried lentils
- bandaids
- craft foam (or construction paper)
- glue
- scissors
- pencil
Where to get free wall paper samples:
I don’t bother buying expensive scrapbooking paper for crafting in my daycare. I visit the local paint shop and I ask for their old, outdated wallpaper sample books. Just the other day, the store manager happily handed FIVE books over to me. He said they just throw them out once they become outdated.
Wallpaper samples are AWESOME for crafting with, and they don’t cost a thing. Plus, the sheets are so much bigger than a piece of 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper.
Making Your Monster Hands
First, the kids looked through the wallpaper sample books, and chose the paper they wanted to use for their monster hands.
Then I traced the childrens’ upper arms and hands onto the back of their wallpaper samples.
Next, we cut out the hands and glued them to a larger piece of white cardboard.
Then the Hooligans glued fingernails onto their monster hands.
I had cut the purple and red fingernails out of some craft foam, and the black fingernails I cut out of a styrofoam meat tray.
You can use card stock or construction paper if you’d rather.
Then the kids used a variety of dried lentils to decorate their monster’s arms and hands with “warts”.
They loved peeling the bandaids and applying those as well.
This was all great for strengthening their fine motor abilities, pincer grasp and co-ordination.
Don’t they look creepy?
Not only is this craft great for daycare or preschool, it’s a super activity to do at a Halloween party for little ones.
Add this monster handprint craft to your must-make list of Halloween crafts this year! It will be a hit with your toddler or preschooler!
More Monster Crafts for Kids
Toilet Roll Monster Mobiles
Paper Bag Monster Hat
Monster Swatter
Monster Spray
Get the 3-5 Playful Preschool e-Book!
25+preschool activities by 25 bloggers, 10 printables, plus links to 50 additional crafts and activities all for $8.99!
Download your copy today:
Follow the Hooligans on Facebook
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
