15 Summer Handprint Crafts For Kids

Last Updated on May 2, 2026 by Masha Eretnova

Handprint crafts are one of those things that seem simple but end up being the ones you actually keep.

These are all summer-themed — pineapples, jellyfish, flamingos, sea creatures — and most need nothing beyond paint, paper, and whatever you have in the craft drawer.

Kids can do most of the work themselves, and you just help with the setup.

Butterfly Handprint Craft & Lifecycle Activity

With just handprints, toddlers and preschoolers can create a beautiful butterfly at each cycle of its life, making this both a sweet keepsake and a gentle intro to how butterflies grow and change. A wonderful one to pair with a garden walk or a book about insects.

Paper Lily Handprint Craft for Kids

Traced handprints cut and curled into lily petals make a flower that looks genuinely three-dimensional. Kids can assemble the layers themselves once you cut out the shapes. A step up from a flat handprint card and worth the extra few minutes.

Handprint Pineapple Name Craft

Yellow pineapple body and green handprints stack together to build a pineapple shape with letters of your child’s name. It’s a clever combination of art and early literacy that looks great framed. Kids can customize their pineapples as they please.

Turtle Handprint Craft for Kids

A handprint becomes a turtle shell with a little head and legs. Kids can go wild decorating the shell pattern — dots, stripes, whatever they feel like. Simple and quick craft for home or classroom.

Finding Nemo Dory Handprint Fish Craft

Blue, green, white, and orange paint on a handprint recreates Dory from Finding Nemo in a way that’s instantly recognizable. Kids who love the movie will be very into seeing their own hand become their favorite character.

Handprint Horton Elephant Craft

A gray handprint with a little trunk curling off the thumb makes Horton from Dr. Seuss — sweet for younger kids who know the story. Kids can add other details from the story, too. A nice one to pair with reading the book together.

Kids’ Father’s Day Handprint Craft Apron

A plain canvas apron plus fabric paint and small hands makes a Father’s Day gift that actually gets used. Kids press their handprints on to make a lion and add a little message for dad.

See also: Father’s Day Dinosaur Handprint Craft Printable (8 Designs)

Handprint Jellyfish

Fingers spread wide make perfect jellyfish tentacles dangling below a rounded body. Kids can make a whole underwater scene with a few handprints in different colors on paper. Hang them from the ceiling on string and you’ve got an ocean-themed kids’ room decor.

Flamingo Handprint Craft

Pink paint on a handprint flipped sideways becomes a flamingo with the thumb as the head and neck. Kids can add long legs and suddenly it looks exactly right. Tropical, summery, and a little bit silly in the best way.

Handprint Pirate Craft

A handprint becomes a pirate face with a hat, eye patch, and bandana added. Kids can customize their pirate’s expression and accessories as much as they want. A fun one for any kid going through a pirate phase.

Octopus Handprint Craft

Two handprints overlapping create eight wiggly octopus legs spreading out from a round body. Kids can count the legs while they paint, which sneaks in a little math. Use bright colors and add googly eyes for a finished octopus with real personality.

Handprint Butterfly Art

Just press both hands down in whatever colors the toddler picks and you’ve got butterfly wings. No two come out the same, and kids can go completely wild with the color choices.

Parrot Handprint Craft

Bright handprints become a cheerful tropical parrot in this colorful art project perfect for older toddlers and preschoolers. The layering of colors makes each one completely unique, and kids get a kick out of adding the googly eyes at the end. Great summer handprint craft without getting hands dirty with paint.

Handprint Sun Paper Plate Craft

Kids trace and cut their handprints to make sun rays surrounding a bright yellow paper plate sun. Soft orange and yellow colors create a cheerful summer decoration.

Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

Handprint Crab Craft

Little handprints become bright red crabs with googly eyes popping up from the claws. It’s simple enough for even the tiniest crafters to help paint and press their hands.

Perfect for toddlers, these summer crafts for toddlers make cute beachy