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Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- Paint the palm with a foam brush instead of dipping the hand. You get a clean print with less paint.
- Do the prints in one short session, and make two or three spares on paper.
- Salt dough and air dry clay need days to dry, so start them first.
- Write your child's name and the date on the back of every gift.
- If you are mailing, check the USPS holiday shipping deadlines, which are posted each fall, and work back from them.
In this post17 sections
- Which toddler Christmas gift for grandparents fits your child's age?
- Supplies for handprint gifts
- How to make toddler Christmas gifts for grandparents, step by step
- How to get a clean handprint from a wiggly toddler
- 6 handprint gift ideas grandparents keep
- 1. Salt dough handprint ornament
- 2. Handprint Christmas tree tea towel
- 3. Fingerprint ornament
- 4. Air dry clay handprint dish
- 5. Handprint calendar
- 6. Framed handprint wreath
- When to start: a make-by and mailing timeline
- Common mistakes
- Variations by age and family
- Bonus: add a note from your toddler
- Shopping list for toddler Christmas gifts for grandparents
- FAQ
Which toddler Christmas gift for grandparents fits your child's age?
Every gift in this guide uses the same handprint method. What changes is how much your toddler can do on their own, so start with their age.
| Age | Easiest gift | What your toddler does | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 to 18 months | Salt dough or clay handprint | Presses a hand into soft dough | Holds the wrist, cuts the shape, bakes or dries |
| 18 months to 2 | Handprint tea towel or framed print | Lets you paint the palm and press | Paints, presses, adds details |
| 2 to 3 | Handprint calendar | Picks colors and makes 12 prints over a few days | Turns prints into pictures, binds pages |
| 3 and up | Fingerprint ornament | Adds fingerprints and simple marker lines | Seals the paint, ties the ribbon |
Supplies for handprint gifts
Most of these keepsakes share a short supply list. Buy the paint that suits the surface: washable kids paint for paper, fabric paint for towels and acrylic craft paint for ornaments.
Handprint gift supply list
Look for the AP seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute on kids paint. It means the product was reviewed for safety in normal use, and it is the label to check before paint goes on small hands.
How to make toddler Christmas gifts for grandparents, step by step
These steps work for paint prints and dough prints. Read them once before you start, because the order matters more than the craft.
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Step 1: Count your gifts
Write down every grandparent, great-grandparent and godparent. Then add two spares, because one print always smudges.
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Step 2: Set up the station first
Cover the table, squeeze paint onto a plate, lay out the paper or towel, and open the wipes. Your toddler should arrive to a finished setup.
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Step 3: Pick a calm moment
Right after a nap and a snack works best. A tired or hungry toddler will curl their fingers into a fist.
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Step 4: Paint the palm, do not dip
Brush a thin, even coat over the palm and fingers with a foam brush. Dipping leaves too much paint, and the print turns into a blob.
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Step 5: Press from the back of the hand
Hold the wrist, place the hand flat, then press gently on the back of the hand and each finger. Count to three out loud so your toddler knows when it ends.
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Step 6: Lift straight up
Lift the hand up in one move, without sliding. Wipe it right away, before it touches anything else.
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Step 7: Make backups
While the paint is still on, do two or three prints on plain cardstock. You can cut the best one out later if the main print smudges.
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Step 8: Dry, seal and label
Let paint dry fully, seal ornaments and dishes, and write your child's name and the date on the back. That label is what grandparents will look for years from now.
How to get a clean handprint from a wiggly toddler
If your child curls their fingers, try the press on their thigh or a towel first so they feel the pressure. Then do the real print.
For babies and young toddlers who will not open their hand, a footprint is easier. Paint the sole while they sit in a high chair, and press the paper up against the foot instead of pressing the foot down.
6 handprint gift ideas grandparents keep
Each idea below uses the method above. Pick one per grandparent, or make the same gift for everyone so you only set up once.
1Salt dough handprint ornament
Roll the dough about a quarter inch thick, cut a circle with a bowl, and press your toddler's hand in. Poke a ribbon hole with a straw, then dry it in a low oven or on a rack for a few days. Our salt dough ornament guide has the dough mix and drying times.
Ages: 1 to 4.
Prep: 15 minutes plus drying.
Mess: medium (flour on the floor).
Supplies: salt dough, a bowl to cut circles, a straw, ribbon, acrylic paint and sealer.
- Safety: salt dough is not food. Keep it away from toddlers who mouth things and away from dogs, since the salt can make pets sick.
Round cutters give clean edges, and a set covers ornament and gift tag sizes.
2Handprint Christmas tree tea towel
Stack green handprints in a triangle, five or six of them, with fingers pointing down like branches. Add a thumbprint star and a brown trunk once it dries. Heat-set the paint with an iron as the label says so it survives the wash.
Ages: 18 months to 5.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: flour sack tea towel, green, yellow and brown fabric paint, foam brush, iron (adult only).
- Safety: use fabric paint labeled non-toxic, wash hands right after, and keep the iron out of reach.
Smooth, thin cotton takes paint evenly, and one pack covers every grandparent.
3Fingerprint ornament
Use clear shatterproof plastic ornaments, not glass. Your toddler dots white fingerprints for snowmen or colored ones for a string of lights, then you add scarves, arms or a cord with a fine marker.
Ages: 2 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: clear plastic ornaments, acrylic craft paint, fine permanent marker (adult only), ribbon, spray or brush-on sealer (adult only).
- Safety: glass ornaments break into sharp pieces. Plastic ones are the safe choice with toddlers.
They will not shatter if dropped, and a pack makes enough for every grandparent.
4Air dry clay handprint dish
Press a handprint into a slab of air dry clay, trim around it, and set it in a shallow bowl so the fingers curve up as it dries. Paint the rim with gold paint when it is fully dry. It holds rings, keys or reading glasses.
Ages: 1 to 5.
Prep: 15 minutes plus 1 to 3 days drying.
Mess: low.
Supplies: air dry clay, rolling pin, butter knife (adult only), shallow bowl, gold acrylic paint, sealer.
- Safety: clay dust and bits are not for eating. Wipe hands and table when you finish.
No oven needed, and it dries hard enough to hold small things.
5Handprint calendar
Make one handprint picture per month: a cardinal in January, a heart in February, a sun in July. Spread the prints over a few days so your toddler stays happy. Print a free calendar grid, glue the art above each month, and bind it with rings.
Ages: 2 to 5.
Prep: 10 minutes per print.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: washable paint, 12 sheets of cardstock, a calendar grid, glue stick, hole punch and binder rings.
- Safety: hole punches and binder rings are adult jobs.
They let the pages flip like a store-bought calendar.
6Framed handprint wreath
Press small green handprints in a ring on white cardstock, overlapping a little, and add a red painted bow at the bottom. A plain frame turns it into wall art grandparents bring out every December.
Ages: 18 months to 5.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: washable green and red paint, white cardstock, foam brush, a simple frame.
- Safety: stay at the table while paint is out, since toddlers will lick painted hands.
A plain white frame lets the handprint art stand out.
Want more handprint shapes, like reindeer and snowmen? See our handprint Christmas crafts for cards and keepsakes, or our Christmas crafts for toddlers by age.
When to start: a make-by and mailing timeline
The hardest part of homemade gifts is the drying time. Salt dough, clay and fabric paint all need days before you can wrap them, so work back from the day you hand them over.
| Gift | Make the print | Ready to wrap | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt dough ornament | 4 weeks before | After it is fully dry, painted and sealed | Thick pieces take longer to dry |
| Air dry clay dish | 4 weeks before | After 1 to 3 days drying, then paint and seal | Check the clay label for drying time |
| Handprint calendar | 3 to 4 weeks before | After all 12 prints are done and bound | Spread prints over several days |
| Tea towel | 3 weeks before | After the paint cures and is heat-set | Follow the fabric paint label |
| Fingerprint ornament | 2 to 3 weeks before | After the sealer dries | Seal in a ventilated room |
| Framed print | 2 weeks before | Same day once dry | The fastest option |
If the gift is going in the mail, check the USPS holiday shipping deadlines, which the post office posts every fall. Aim to ship a few days before the cutoff.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
Variations by age and family
For a baby under one, use footprints instead of handprints, and keep to dough and paper. For a 3 or 4 year old, let them add their own drawing next to the print, even if it is just a scribble.
With more than one grandchild, put every child's hand in one piece. A wreath with each cousin's handprint, or a tea towel tree with one handprint per child, becomes the family gift.
Bonus: add a note from your toddler
Ask your toddler two questions and write down exactly what they say: what do you love about Grandma, and what do you do together? Tuck the answers in with the gift.
Short and odd answers are the best ones. The handprint shows how small they were, and the note keeps how they talked.
Shopping list for toddler Christmas gifts for grandparents
Handprint gift supplies
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Washable kids paint set
Typically $10 to $20
For paper prints. Look for the AP seal on the label.
Check price on Amazon for Washable kids paint set -
Fabric paint set
Typically $10 to $20
For tea towels, so the print survives the wash.
Check price on Amazon for Fabric paint set -
White air dry clay
Typically $8 to $15
For handprint dishes with no oven.
Check price on Amazon for White air dry clay -
Clear shatterproof ornaments
Typically $10 to $20
Safe to handle with toddlers around.
Check price on Amazon for Clear shatterproof ornaments -
Wide foam brushes
Typically $5 to $10
Paints a palm evenly in one or two strokes.
Check price on Amazon for Wide foam brushes
While the gifts dry, keep older siblings busy with our Christmas Activity Pack: a 24-day countdown, bingo, kindness cards, word searches and coloring pages for ages 3 to 8. For more ideas at home, see our Christmas activities for toddlers.
Frequently asked questions
What can a toddler make for grandparents for Christmas?
A salt dough handprint ornament, a handprint tea towel, a clay handprint dish, a handprint calendar or a framed handprint wreath. Each one needs only a few minutes of your toddler's time.
How do you get a good handprint from a toddler?
Paint the palm with a foam brush instead of dipping, press on the back of the hand and each finger, then lift straight up. Do it after a nap and a snack, and make a few spares on paper.
What paint is safe for toddler handprints?
Use washable kids paint with the ACMI AP seal for paper. For fabric, use non-toxic fabric paint and wash hands right after. Stay at the table so paint does not go in mouths.
How early should I make toddler Christmas gifts?
Start salt dough and clay gifts about 4 weeks before you hand them over, because they need days to dry, paint and seal. Paper prints can be done 2 weeks before.
Can I mail a salt dough ornament?
Yes. Wrap it in bubble wrap, put it in a small box, and then put the box in a mailer. Check the USPS holiday shipping deadlines for the year and ship a few days early.
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