My favourite crafts to do with the kids are usually the ones where I can combine a sensory element with an art project or craft. This Christmas tree with fingerprint ornaments paint project allowed me to do just that.
Our project was inspired by a Fall Tree Craft Using a Dish Brush over at Crafty Morning that I did with the kids at our homeschool coop meet-up in October. It went so well and it worked with multiple ages from toddlers to my teens. I knew I wanted to come up with a similar project.
Dish Brush Christmas Tree Painting with Fingerprint Ornaments:
Materials needed:
–round dish brush
-paper
–washable paint
-plates
-pencil (optional)
This project requires very few supplies and is easy to set up. For my youngest, I drew a triangle with a pencil on the paper to give her a general outline to follow. The rest of my kids just ‘freehanded’ it.
Pour green paint onto a plate and dip the dish brush into it. Form the tree using the dish brush and green paint. On a separate plate, put dollops of other paint colours. The kids can use these to dip their fingers in to make ornaments on the tree with the tips of their fingers. They can also use their fingers and brown paint to create the tree trunk.
The thing I liked the best about this project (even more than how easy it was to set up!) is how my kids all took a bit of a different take on it. One of them added presents under the Christmas tree and one made an angel tree topper. Some liked the look of a more sparse tree while others wanted theirs more filled in.
I always enjoy seeing their creativity emerge.
I found really adorable duck dish brushes and not only are they super cute, they are perfect for gripping for little hands so they make this project even easier for younger kids to do on their own.
If you want to do the Fall Tree Craft Using a Dish Brush over on Crafty Morning, click the image below to get the full instructions including the template needed for the tree.
Be sure to check out some of our other Christmas crafts and activities:
Paper Plate Manger Craft for Kids
