Handprint calendars are a perfect way to spend a long afternoon between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Hanging around the house for the holidays? Spend an afternoon or two working on a handprint calendar for 2023. It’s an easy project anyone can complete, and little helpers will love to lend a hand or two. After all, you’ve got a long winter break to fill with activities and printables, and by New Year’s Eve, you’ll have reached the point where painting your kids’ hands sound like a rational idea!
What You’ll Need to Make a Handprint Calendar
Heavyweight paper
Washable paint
Paper plate
Brushes
Glue
Laminating sheets (optional)
Hole punch (optional)
String (optional)
Plan It Out
We love this project because there’s no right way to make one. Keep it simple, or get super crafty— it’s all up to your kids’ imagination. Use the guide below to get started, and decide in advance what you’ll make out of each handprint. This is much easier to do before your little helper has paint all over their hands!
Related: How to Make a Vision Board for Kids in 2023
The Painting Part
Paint your kids’ hands with the selected colors and have them make a print on each piece of paper. Colored paper is also an option if you want to use white paint (see January and October). Depending on your design, you may need just one handprint, a fingerprint, or even a footprint. Be sure to wash and dry your hands between each month, and continue through the year, from January to December. If you think it doesn’t look like much, don’t worry! After each month has dried, and you add the details, it’ll look awesome.
Insider Tip: Let your kids have some input with this project. While you may have a perfect vision in mind for how to execute a gorgeous Christmas tree using their sweet little hands, they might have another idea, and that’s okay.
Put it Together
Now that you have all of the months ready to go (and dry!), it’s time to put your calendar together. The easiest way to go is to order a ready-made blank calendar, such as this blank wall calendar from Amazon. For under $10, you won’t have to mess with binding or stapling, or fussing with the assembly of the calendar—glue or use double-sided tape to attach your own homemade monthly pictures to the blank template and you’re good to go.
Related: New Year’s Eve Confetti Poppers You Can Make with the Kids
If you want to DIY your handprint calendar, check out the simple steps below.
Print out a blank 2023 calendar from Calendar Labs. One by one, place the pages behind the handprint so that when it flips upward, you’ll have the right picture and month. For example, the calendar days for January should be glued to the February picture, the calendar days for February should be glued to March, and so on.
Insider Tip: Make sure to place the calendar month on the backside and bottom of the handprint, so as you flip each month, the painted picture is positioned the correct way.
Once you’ve glued all the calendar pages to the handprints, use the laminating sleeves to seal each one. Follow the instructions on the package, and use a ruler to eliminate any air pockets or creases.
Using a hole punch, make three holes at the top of each page (the calendar month should have the holes at the top) and one hole at the bottom (this is where the calendar will hang on the wall).
Then, using string or thin twine, run a length through each of the three holes and tie it up like you would a book (it should open from the right side). That’s it! You’ll have a fun keepsake that will hang around for an entire year.
Flip through the gallery below to look at each month of the calendar!
