{Play} Guest Post | Fingerprint Fall Trees

November 8, 2011 in All Posts, Guest Posts, Play, Toddler Activities

Fall is most definitely here, folks! If you haven’t started your fall-inspired arts and crafts projects, here’s a superfun one from Vicky at Mess For Less!


Mess For Less

Living in California, I don’t get to experience the gorgeous Fall foliage as much as those of you in other parts of the country. I used to live on the East Coast, so I sure do miss it. But there is no reason I can’t make my own Fall magic. Today I am going to share how to make a Fingerprint Fall Tree, so you can have a little bit of season no matter where you live.

Supplies you will need:

  • White paper (copy paper will do)
  • Brown marker
  • Fall colored paint
  • Paint Tray
  • Paper Towel
  • Fingers
Before we start, I need to explain that for someone who has a blog that focuses heavily on kids crafts, I am a terrible artist. And I’m not one of those people who say I am a terrible artist just so you can say I am good. Nope. Pictionary is not my friend. Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, we can continue.
Draw a tree onto your white paper. You will just want to draw the trunk and bare branches. Here is mine. Did I lie above? If you have older kids, they can do this part themselves. I have 3 year old twins (A and B) and a 21 month old (C for those keeping track) so I am doing all the tree drawing here.
Next, you will want to put out some paint in Fall colors. I used orange, yellow, brown and red. When I have done any kind of prints with the kids, rather than just squirting some paint on a tray, I make what I call the “poor man’s stamp pad.” Take a paper towel, fold it in half and place it on a tray. Squeeze a small amount of the colors you wish to use on the paper towel and use a spoon to spread the color around and get it to sink into the paper towel a bit. This way, the paints coats fingers more like a stamp pad and you don’t end up with a finger with a big glop of paint on it.
Next, explain to your child how they will be using their fingerprints to makes leaves on and around the tree. They will be dipping their fingers in the paint and then making prints on the paper. Yes, my daughter “B” is wearing two fairy wings while doing this craft. She’s done worse while wearing those fairy wings.
One nice thing about this activity, is that you don’t have to worry about cleaning your fingers in between colors. Fall leaves are supposed to be multi-colored, so the mess works well here.
“A” was more into falling leaves, so she started by placing her fingerprint leaves on the side. Eventually she added more to the branches.
B fills up her tree.
“A” decides she can now add more leaves.
Even little ones can rock this activity. My youngest, C, wondering why her leaves are so small.
Some of our finished Fall trees. Aren’t they pretty? This masterpiece was done by A.
C’s tree. Not bad for a toddler. Almost makes my tree drawing look good.

This is an activity that would be great for children of any age. I like it because it uses simple supplies that most people already have on hand. You don’t have to spend a lot to make great art or have fun with your little ones. The ability to draw a tree does help though.

Big thanks to Vicky of Mess For Less for her fabulous fall play post! Vicky is a mom of 3 (three year old twins and a 21 month old) trying to get through the day with a little learning, laughter and fun. At her blog Mess For Less, she chronicles budget friendly activities, crafts and games she does with her kids. As a former Preschool and Kindergarten teacher, she has lots of ideas. Things don’t always go as planned, but she still has fun.

A few of my favorites from her blog:

  • Block and Paper Towel Prints
  • Fruit Loop Towers
  • Bubble Wrap Prints
  • Colorful Dancing Milk

What are you still doing here? Head over to Vicky’s blog and grab some toddler project inspiration!

Happy Painting!

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Chrissy – who has written posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.

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