Handprint painting can be super fun! You will love today's craft idea!
We are on a roll with sharing Dr Seuss themed content at the moment. Dr Seuss is a fun series which i really love. My favourite type of book is the rhyming book and I really like The Cat In The Hat.
So much so that we ave plenty of Cat In The Hat themed crafts and food ideas here on The Inspiration Edit. In fact we have a whole category on the blog dedicated to anything and everything Dr Seuss including fun food ideas and more. Why not check it out?
Today's post is a tutorial for Cat In The Hat handprint which is a perfect and fun activity for the little ones. Enjoy.
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💖 Why You'll Love This Craft
- Handprint Magic: Your hand becomes the cat’s tall hat—how cool is that?
- Messy but Marvelous: It’s a little messy, but that's what makes it extra fun!
- Memory Keeper: It's more than a craft—your little handprint becomes a keepsake to treasure!
🎨 Supplies Needed
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Canvas
- Pencil
- Black Permanent Marker
RELATED POST: THING 1 AND THING 2 HANDPRINT CANVAS
🖌️ How to Make the Cat in the Hat Handprint
- Step 1: Paint the palm of your child’s hand with a big white circle surrounded by black paint.
- Step 2: Paint your child’s fingers with red and white paint. You do not need to use the thumb just the fingers.
- Step 3: Gently press your child’s hand onto a canvas. Help them pull up in one swift motion to avoid smearing the paint. Turn the canvas around. Paint the palm of your child’s hand with a big white circle surrounded by black paint. Paint your child’s fingers black.
- Step 4: Gently press your child’s hand onto a canvas. Help them pull up in one swift motion to avoid smearing the paint. (make sure this handprint is going down on the canvas the opposite direction of the first handprint)
- Step 5: Dip your child’s fingertips into black paint and add ears and into red paint to create a neck bow.
- Step 6: Allow the paint to dry completely.
- Step 7: Use a pencil to draw a face onto The Cat in the Hat. Once you are satisfied, trace the face details with permanent marker.
- Step 8: Once the marker is dry, use an eraser to remove any pencil lines left behind.
🖌️ How to Make the Fish Handprint
- Step 1: Paint your child’s entire hand orange.
- Step 2: Gently press your child’s hand onto a canvas. Help them pull up in one swift motion to avoid smearing the paint.
- Step 3: Dip your child’s fingertips into white paint and add 2 eyes.
- Step 5: Draw a bottom to the fishbowl. Once you are satisfied with the fishbowl, use permanent marker to trace the pencil lines.
- Step 6: Use a pencil to draw water detail in the bowl, splashes of water and a face on the fish.
- Step 8: Thin down teal paint with water. Paint the inside of the fishbowl.
- Step 9: Allow your handprint painting to dry completely. Your art work is now complete.
This is a fantastic preschool or homeschool activity and great for Dr Seuss Day or World Book Day. Why not give it a go?
There are plenty of other Dr Seuss characters you might like to make using your handprint.
Check out our Thing 1 Thing 2 handprint post. It's fabulous.
Related Product
💡 Pro Tip: Use common household items like toilet rolls or cardboard tubes to make Easter-themed crafts. This promotes sustainability while boosting creativity.
🧑🎨 Expert Tips
- Use a Template: Download and print the free templates from the article. This ensures uniformity in shapes, making the crafting process simpler for kids.
- Choose Bright Colors: Vibrant pastel colors like pinks, yellows, and blues bring an Easter feel, making the crafts look lively and festive.
- Layer Materials: Combine paper, foam, and fabric to add texture to your crafts. Layering materials gives depth and enhances the final look.
- Incorporate Nature: Use natural items like twigs, flowers, and leaves to add a rustic touch to your Easter crafts. Nature-inspired elements enhance creativity.
- Add Personal Touches: Personalizing crafts with names or messages will make each piece unique, allowing kids to express themselves in their creations.
- Display Creatively: After crafting, display the finished pieces in baskets or hang them around the house. This shows off the hard work and adds festive cheer.
💭 FAQs
You’ll need black, white, and red paint, a paintbrush, a canvas, a pencil for sketching, and a permanent marker for outlining. These materials are key to creating the Cat in the Hat handprint design.
Paint your child’s palm with a white circle surrounded by black paint. Paint the fingers with red and white paint, then press the hand onto the canvas.
After the handprint dries, dip your child’s fingertips into black paint to add ears and into red paint to create a neck bow. Allow the paint to dry completely.
Use a pencil to draw a face onto the Cat in the Hat. Once satisfied, trace the details with a permanent marker and erase any pencil lines left behind.
The Cat In The Hat Handprint Painting For Kids
Materials
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Canvas
- Pencil
- Black Permanent Marker
Instructions
- Paint your child’s fingers with red and white paint. You do not need to use the thumb just the fingers.
- Gently press your child’s hand onto a canvas.
- Help them pull up in one swift motion to avoid smearing the paint. (make sure this handprint is going down on the canvas the opposite direction of the first handprint)
- Dip your child’s fingertips into black paint and add ears and into red paint to create a neck bow.
- Allow the paint to dry completely.
- Use a pencil to draw a face onto The Cat in the Hat. Once you are satisfied, trace the face details with a permanent marker.
- Once the marker is dry, use an eraser to remove any pencil lines left behind.
- HOW TO MAKE THE FISH HANDPRINTPaint your child’s entire hand orange.
- Gently press your child’s hand onto a canvas. Help them pull up in one swift motion to avoid smearing the paint.
- Dip your child’s fingertips into white paint and add 2 eyes.
- Draw a bottom to the fishbowl. Once you are satisfied with the fishbowl, use permanent marker to trace the pencil lines.
- Use a pencil to draw water detail in the bowl, splashes of water, and a face on the fish.
- Thin down teal paint with water. Paint the inside of the fishbowl.
- Allow your handprint painting to dry completely.
- Your artwork is now complete.
🖌️ Related Crafts
Love these crafts! Don't forget to pin them on Pinterest or leave a comment and let us know how you got on!
Did you make this craft? Leave a review and comment below! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest.
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These are adorable. I have one kid that would love to do this, and another that would equally hate it. He can't stand finger paint or paint on his hands, or the brush on his hands. I'd have to figure out a way around it. Maybe tracing his hand?
Oh now this is such a sweet idea for kids to do, I would never have thought of making a cat in the hat into a fingerprint painting. So ingenious!
It is a super fun activity!
I love cat in the hat. These paintings are too cute. Awwwwwww
These kind of activities highly encourages the kids and very easy for kids to try it out.Great work!
This is so much fun! I used to love hand painting as a child. Also, who doesn't love cat in the hat??
These are darling! I can't believe these are hand prints. I am sending to all of my teacher friends! What a fun craft.
Those are some really fun craft ideas! This is perfect for kids.
Thanks. I am glad you like these.
Aw, this is such an adorable project! My kids would love they, they love to paint and they are super artsy. I have to try this with them. Yay, now I have plans for Saturday night. Thanks for shairng.
Wow.. this is brilliant and how. I love how you transformed the book into art. What an amazing idea to keep the interest going. Should try it out with my kid.
These turned out so cute! A perfect craft for kids.
OMgosh, how creative! I loved hand painting as a kid but the "Cat in the Hat" theme is so adorable. The fishbowl really did it for me...awe, they were all so cute.
My little boy would love this, he dressed up as the cat in the hat for World Book Day 🙂 #KLTR
Wow this is so cool, you are so clever at your crafts Angela! #KLTr
My 2yo loves The Cat in the Hat so this would be great for him. Not sure he would have the patience to paint the stripes for the hat though!
Oh how awesome. He could paint it however he likes though 🙂