How about a handprint fingerprint calendar for your parent Christmas gifts?!?

I have always LOVED how my handprint calendars turned out. I have made so many over the years!! They are so adorable, parents can use them for an entire year and then they become a wonderful keepsake. But, let’s face it…they take sooooo long!!!!

So, last year, with a HUGE class of 30 Kinders and no aide, I decided I needed a new idea. I wanted it to be just as cute, useful and meaningful as my handprint calendar. But, something that took A LOT less time. Something that I wouldn’t kill myself trying to make with that many five-year-olds!

So, that’s when I got to work on the FINGERPRINT calendar!! You guys!!! They turned out so absolutely ADORABLE!!!! And, they didn’t take much time AT ALL!!!!

Check out what I came up with!

So, you might be asking….how does this save so much time? Well, we can do at least one, if not two pages a day and still get all of our academics in! (This is hard to do with Kinders!! LOL! A project can take hours longer than you planned.)

All I do is copy these pages out on cardstock. As you know, giving a 5-year-old a coloring page that has small graphics can be overwhelming to some. So, you end up with a page that they used one color on and scribbled all over.

We color together. I give them colored pencils so that they can stay in the lines and do their best coloring. Then, we talk about what colors would make sense for EACH PART of the picture. We color ONE item at a time. It doesn’t take long because the pictures really aren’t that big and there’s not a whole lot to them.

After we have colored, it’s time to paint. Now, with handprint calendars, I would have to paint ONE child’s hand (or hands depending on the print) at a time. Then, we would do the print and  clean their hands off (we don’t have a sink in our room.) This took FOREVER!!!! With fingerprints, I do them ALL AT ONCE!!!!!

I just put a small dot of paint on a paper plate and put it in the middle of the table. NO ONE can touch the paint. First (Yes, EVERY TIME) we talk about which finger can touch the paint. And, how this is the ONLY finger that is allowed to touch the paint.

Next, we talk about what a fingerprint should look like. We are NOT painting…we are using our finger more like a stamp. Practice what it looks like to make a fingerprint. (There is a practice page included that has all different prints to practice (big, small, vertical, horizontal, etc.)

Talk about how when you make a fingerprint, you put it on the paper and lift it straight back up. There is no smearing or painting. Only ONE print goes in each circle or oval.

If you take the time to talk about it, they will turn out fabulously!!! So cute!

The numbers on the calendar pages are  completely editable!! So, you can download this once. Save the original and use it year after year!! It’s super easy to edit and comes with detailed direction so even the most Non-techy teacher can use it with ease!

It even comes with a poem page that you can personalize and use for the cover! Just click on the box to add a picture and make it personalized for each kiddo!

If you’d like to check out this fingerprint calendar, one of my most favorite projects ever!!!! Just click on the image below!!!

Merry Christmas!