Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree Art Project for Kids

Making a DIY Four Season Handprint and fingerprint tree is a great way to teach children about the changing seasons while making beautiful art. Once finished this four-season tree makes a unique keepsake craft and handprint gift idea for mom, dad, or the grandparents.

Related: Beautiful Gifts Kids Can Make the Whole Family Will LOVE!

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How to Make a Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree

In order to keep this art project fun, it is best to work in short stints with young children. My 2.5-year-old daughter and I worked on this handprint tree and fingerprint tree together for about 10 – 20 minutes over a five-day period.

Related: Best Art Supplies for Kids and Why Young Artists Should Use Them

Handprint and Fingerprint Tree Art Project for Kids Supplies

• 4 wrapped canvas square frames the same size.
• Tempura paint or acrylic craft paints in several colors of your choice [best selling colors I, best selling colors II, and metallic colors]
• Mod Podge
• Paintbrushes
• Foam brush for top coat [In brush set above]
• Artist smock or apron
• Pencil
• Paint tray (optional)
• Your child’s hand and fingers

Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree Art Step by Step Video Tutorial

Related: Fingerprint Flower Glass Magnets 

Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree Art Step by Step Directions

Step 1 – Paint Each Wrapped Canvas Square a Color for Each Season

1. Choose a background color for each season.
   • Note: At first we chose a golden-yellow for fall. We ended up changing it to coral before we did the fingerprints for the autumn square because we wanted to use yellow for the leaves.
2. The background colors that we used for each season:
   • Spring = Celery
   • Summer = Turquoise
   • Fall = Coral
   • Winter = Bright Blue
3. Allow painted canvas squares to dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 2 – Trace Your Child’s Hand to Make Handprint Tree Art

1. Place the squares together with Spring in the upper left corner, summer in the upper right corner, fall in the lower right corner, and winter in the lower left corner.
2. Put your child’s right or left hand and forearm in the middle of all four canvas squares. Make sure their fingers spread across all of the squares and their arm is dividing the lower two squares.
3. Trace your child’s right or left hand and forearm with a pencil.

Step 3 – Paint Handprint Tree

• The acrylic colors that we used: Cinnamon base with thin lines of espresso applied once it dried to give the appearance of bark.
• Don’t forget to paint the sides to give it a wonderful 3-D effect.
• Allow to handprint tree to dry before moving on to next step.

Step 4 – Use Fingertips to Paint Leaves or Snow for Each Season to Make Fingerprint Tree Art

1. Arrange four season fingerprint tree with winter and fall on the bottom so your child can use their fingertips to paint snow and leaves on the ground. Don’t forget to paint the sides of your canvas squares appropriately to give your painting a 3-D effect.

The colors that we used for the four season handprint tree pictured are listed below.

Spring paint for four season fingerprint tree art

• The acrylic colors that we used: green, apple tart, pink chiffon, pink blast, and fuchsia.
• Use a piece of paper with a semi-circle cut out and taped to square if you want to maintain the shape of a tree.
• Allow your child to use their finger to dip in paint to make the leaves and blossoms of spring.

Summer fingerprint paint for four season tree art

• The acrylic colors used: green, kelly green, Christmas green, vineyard green, celery, apple tart, and bright yellow.
• Use a piece of paper with a semi-circle cut out and taped to square if you want to maintain the shape of the tree.
• Allow your child to use their finger to dip in paint to make the tree leaves of summer.

Winter fingerprint paint colors for handprint tree art

• The Acrylic color that we used: white
• Allow your child to use their finger to dip in paint to make falling snow, snow on the thumb branch, and snow on the ground.

Fall fingerprint tree paint colors for handprint tree art

• The acrylic colors that we used: dark yellow, buttercream, tangerine, orange, cinnamon, espresso, tapestry wine, metallic copper, and metallic gold.
• Allow your child to use their finger to make falling leaves and leaves on the ground.

Note: mixing paint on little fingertips is perfect and creates a mottled leaf effect.

 

Related: The Best Fingerprint Art Ideas for Kids

Step 5 – Apply a Top Coat to Preserve, Seal, and Protect Four Season Handprint Tree Art

• Use a foam brush to apply Mod Podge so you don’t ruin your paint brushes.
• Use long top to bottom strokes.
• It goes on milky and dries clear.
• Work quickly – it gets sticky.
• Allow painting to dry.

 

Related: Handprint Art Jewelry Dish and Ring Bowl

Give Fingerprint Tree Art as a Keepsake Gift Kids Can Make or Hang and Enjoy!

This Four season handprint and fingerprint tree art is a unique homemade gift idea from the kids. For more ideas, check out this gorgeous collection of homemade gifts kids can make. For more gift ideas be sure to check out our gift guide with DIY and ready-made ideas for the whole family!

You may also like this fun collection of thumbprint and fingerprint art ideas.

Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!

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