Handprint Fish

Materials Needed:

• Various colors of paint
  
• Paper plates
  
• A sponge or paint brush (you can get cheap ones at the dollar store)
  
• Colored paper
  
• Lots of soap & water for clean up!
  

This is a great keepsake craft to give as a gift for Father's Day or a birthday or just because. There are other ways to apply handprints with paint but this is the way I prefer for slightly less mess.

1. Take first color of paint and put it on a paper plate. Use a paint brush or a sponge to apply the paint to your child's hand. Don't put too much on - just enough to cover the hand.
2. Help your child place their hand on the paper sideways.
3. Repeat with another color. (If you have more than one child, have each one do a handprint)
4. When all your fish are applied. Use your child's finger to make the bubbles, seaweed and eyes and mouths.

I almost always have left over paint after a craft like this. Instead of just tossing it, I let my kids mash their hands in the remaining paint to make their own crazy paintings (they often mix the colors together).  Their work is not usually frame-worthy but they have fun and I feel less guilty about tossing the paint.

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