Here’s a quick and easy fingerprint Christmas card craft idea kids (or adults) can make at home or in the classroom!
When you make this fingerprint Christmas tree craft with children’s little fingers and thumbs, you get two separate fingerprint Christmas tree cards with this easy Christmas card craft idea. In other words, you will have two fingerprint tree Christmas cards when you make this reverse fingerprint Christmas tree craft. A positive and a negative fingerprint Christmas tree card, as shown in the photos below. Alternatively, you can use the step-by-step Christmas tree craft instructions below with another stamping tool, such as cotton swabs bundled with a rubber band, a cotton ball in a clothespin, or a pencil eraser instead of fingertips.
Each of these creative homemade Christmas card alternatives makes it easy for kids and adults to create Christmas cards and simple keepsake DIY holiday decorations and crafts for friends, family, loved ones, and extended relatives, including aunts, uncles, and in-laws. First published November 6, 2016; this fingerprint Christmas tree craft tutorial is regularly updated to improve the content. For more handmade Christmas cards and craft ideas, look at this fantastic list of homemade keepsake Christmas craft ideas.
Related: Ultimate Family Gift Guide: Readymade and Homemade Gift Ideas
Homemade Christmas Cards Make a Great DIY Gift Idea
These simple Christmas cards are an easy Christmas craft and holiday decoration that kids and adults can make. Turn positive and negative fingerprint Christmas tree cards into a keepsake gift by sending one fingerprint Christmas tree to Grandma and the other to Grandpa. They will have a set of fingerprint trees they can frame and hang as keepsake Christmas decorations.
Or, put them in a nice frame to hang on your wall for a lovely homemade fingerprint Christmas tree craft to add to your festive holiday DIY decor. Of course, you can also send them to family, friends, and loved ones anyway you like.
Family and friends love keepsake Christmas cards made by children. You might also enjoy making fingerprint lights, Christmas cards, and watercolor Christmas tree cards. Each of these card craft ideas can be transformed into Christmas gifts by the kids.
How to Make Positive and Negative Fingerprint Christmas Tree Cards:
The fingerprint Christmas craft tutorial below provides step-by-step instructions for making a card. Make fingerprint Christmas cards with kids in the classroom to send home with your students for their parents.
Or spend time with children over the winter break, making DIY fingerprint Christmas tree cards. If your children can trace and use scissors well enough to cut out Christmas trees, they can help with every step of this Christmas card-making activity.
Toddlers and preschoolers can help by creating art with their fingertips and gluing the Christmas tree shapes to the blank cards, while older kids can help with cutting, tracing, and creating fingerprint art on the cards.
Pair homemade Christmas tree cards with fingerprint art magnets for an excellent homemade gift from the kids. For more gift ideas, look at Christmas gifts kids can make. For even more fun things to do in the days leading up to Christmas, look at this list of family Christmas Traditions.
Related: Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
DIY Fingerprint Christmas Tree Card Materials:
Look for craft supplies at your local hobby or craft store, or use the Amazon affiliate links below for convenience. (Rhythms of Play will earn a small commission from purchases without extra cost to the consumer.)
- Tempera paint, acrylic paint, or fingerprint ink pads:
- My toddler used blue, green, and red tempera paint to make the single-color Christmas tree cards, and a mixture of yellow and pink glitter paint to make the mixed-color fingerprint cards shown in the photographs.
- Alternatively, you can use fingerprint ink pads instead of tempera paint.
- Or use white paint to stamp fingerprints on colored blank greeting cards instead of the blank white cards recommended on the list below.)
- Blank white greeting cards with envelopes
(or colored blank greeting cards if using white paint) - Christmas tree cookie cutter or FREE Christmas tree art printable templates
- Cardstock
- Painters tape
- Glue stick
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Little fingers or thumbs to stamp prints.
- Alternatively, you can use any of the following options as stamping tools instead of fingertips to create the positive and negative Christmas tree art:
- Cotton swabs that are bundled together with a rubber band.
- Pencil eraser tips.
- Cotton balls held with a clothespin.
- Solid tempera paint pens.
- A paintbrush to stamp or paint DIY Christmas cards
- Alternatively, you can use any of the following options as stamping tools instead of fingertips to create the positive and negative Christmas tree art:
or FREE 
Related: Meaningful Christmas Traditions for a Magical Holiday
Fingerprint Christmas Tree Cards Step-by-Step Craft Tutorial
Follow the easy step-by-step instructions below to make positive and negative fingerprint Christmas tree crafts:
1. Create the Christmas tree art template:
- First, draw your own tree, get a Christmas tree cookie cutter, or use these FREE Christmas tree printable templates on cardstock as the Christmas tree shape.
- Next, trace the Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter several times, or print Christmas tree-shaped templates onto cardstock.
- As the printable demonstrates, you can trace approximately 4-5 Christmas trees per sheet of cardstock. Create the number of Christmas tree shapes you need to match the number of cards you want to make.
- Finally, cut out each Christmas tree shape.
- As a reminder, each tree you cut out can be used to create two fingerprint Christmas cards. So, for example, because the printable has four Christmas trees, printing one page will create four templates and eight total Fingeprint Christmas tree cards.
or use these FREE
. 2. Tape the Christmas tree-shaped template onto a blank greeting card:
- Attach each Christmas tree art template to the front of a blank greeting card with painters’ tape as shown in the photo below.
- Once again, one Christmas tree-shaped template will make two cards.
- Repeat until each cardstock Christmas tree template is attached to the front of a single card.
3. Use fingertips, or an alternative, to paint Christmas trees:
- Invite children to paint the cards with the Christmas tree taped to the front in the color(s) of their choice.
- Please encourage them to stamp their fingerprints onto the printable template using the tempera paint color they choose.
- Alternatively, you can stamp on and around the attached Christmas tree templates on each card using pencil eraser tips, cotton swabs, solid tempera paint pens, or a paintbrush.
- Please allow the paint plenty of time to dry before moving on to the next step in this fun Christmas craft project.
4. Carefully remove the painted Christmas tree-shaped templates from each card:
- Slowly remove the cardstock Christmas tree-shaped template taped to the front of each greeting card to reveal the first Christmas tree card.
- Be sure to work slowly and carefully so that the paint is not pulled off once the painter’s tape is removed.
- Removing the stamped Christmas tree template from the front of the card reveals the reverse fingerprint Christmas tree card with the negative tree. In other words, the Christmas tree shape shows where the paint is not.
- Use the same color paint to clean up any edges of the negative Christmas tree card if needed.
5. Glue each painted Christmas tree template to another blank greeting card:
- Use a glue stick or glue tape to permanently attach the painted Christmas tree you removed from the first card to another blank greeting card.
- This will create the second Christmas tree card, the positive fingerprint Christmas tree card.
- In other words, when you are done with this fingerprint Christmas craft, you will have made two cards: A negative and a positive fingerprint Christmas tree card, as shown in the photograph of the fingerprint Christmas tree made with red paint and the fingerprint Christmas card with green paint below.
6. Write Holiday Greetings on each card:
- Write a Christmas greeting inside each of the cards.
- This can be done as a writing activity in the classroom, with children making cards to bring home to parents, or at home with family to send well-wishes to family and friends for the holidays.
- Continue writing inside the cards until you have personalized greetings inside each homemade fingerprint tree card.
7. Send fingerprint Christmas cards to family and friends:
- If you make fingerprint Christmas cards in the classroom with students, send them home for parents.
- And if you make homemade positive and negative fingerprint Christmas tree cards at home, send them to family and friends with holiday tidings and cheer.
Related: Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make
Homemade Fingerprint Christmas Tree Cards:
After completing each reverse fingerprint card, you will have two beautiful Christmas tree cards to give to friends and family. A negative and a positive fingerprint Christmas tree card. This simple DIY Christmas project is a fun fingerprint Christmas tree craft for kids and adults of all ages. Make fingerprint Christmas cards with this easy craft tutorial to send to friends and family today. You might also enjoy making Watercolor Tree Christmas Cards or the fingerprint Christmas light cards and crafts, as shown in the photo below.
For even more ideas, have a look at these creative keepsake crafts you can use to make homemade Christmas cards. You might also enjoy this list of unique homemade Christmas ornaments that kids and adults can make. Don’t forget to look at this extraordinary collection of fun family Christmas traditions to make your holidays even more magical.
For more gift ideas, check out our Ultimate Family Gift Guide with DIY and readymade ideas for kids, moms, dads, and grandparents! Or look at this fantastic list of homemade gifts kids can make for parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends. Merry Christmas!
Learn more about Nell Regan Kartychok, author, photographer, and creator of these original positive and negative fingerprint Christmas tree crafts HERE, and Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Homemade Fingerprint Cards:
- Fingerprint Christmas Lights Cards
- DIY Fingerprint Snowman Cards
- Fingerprint Wreath Cards
- DIY Handprint Christmas Carolers Cards
- Fingerprint Love Bug Cards
Other Fingerprint Crafts
- Fingerprint Magnet Crafts
- Best Fingerprint and Thumbprint Art and Craft Ideas
- Thumbprint Heart Magnets
- Fingerprint Flower Magnets
- Four Seasons Handprint and Fingerprint Tree Art
These turned out beautifully. Thank you for joining in with our kid-made Christmas Card Series
Thanks Jen! We had a lovely time making them. Thank you for hosting… so many beautiful kid-made Christmas card ideas!
I love these cards, such a neat idea & perfect for all ages to create ♥
Thanks Catherine! So glad you like them 🙂
I know a few little fingers who would love this idea!
My daughter’s fingers sure did!
Thanks, Hermione! I’m so glad that you like these fingerprint Christmas cards and hope that the people you make them for do as well. Merry Christmas!