Rainy Day Projects

Handprint Wrapping Paper and Gift Tags

This activity turns a sheet of plain paper and a little tempera paint into something genuinely useful: gift wrap and gift tags your child made themselves. The repetition of dipping and pressing keeps ages 5–8 engaged without demanding precision, and the results look intentional even when they are not. You end up with wrapping paper ready to use and a small stack of tags to store away.

Ages
5–8
Time
40 min
Adult help
Light adult help
Mess
Low mess

Before you start

Before you call the child over, lay down a few sheets of newspaper or an old kitchen towel as a paint mat, set out one or two colors of washable tempera in shallow dishes (jar lids or the cups of an egg carton work well), and tear off a damp paper towel for quick hand wipes between colors. Cut a few tag shapes from scrap card or the back of a cereal box in advance so the child has something to print on immediately while motivation is high. The activity tends to stall when the child tries to press too hard and the print smears — show them a light, flat press and lift straight up. Winding down is natural: once the paper is covered, shift to the tags, then lay everything flat to dry while you wash hands together at the sink.

You will need

  • Plain white or light-colored paperTwo or three sheets, any size you have
  • Washable tempera paintOne or two colors; squeeze a small amount into a lid or egg-carton cup
  • Shallow dish or jar lidOne per paint color, for dipping
  • Scrap cardstock or cereal-box cardFor cutting gift tags from; wipe clean if it held food

    Use a clean box that held food or household goods, not chemicals; wipe it down before use, and recycle it when the activity is done.

  • ScissorsAdult cuts tag shapes for ages 5–6; child cuts for ages 7–8

    Have the child cut with the point away from their body; adult cuts the initial shapes for younger children in this band.

  • Hole punchoptionalOptional, for making a hole in finished tags
  • String or yarnoptionalOptional, to thread through punched tag holes
  • Newspaper or an old kitchen towelTo protect the table surface
  • Damp paper towelsFor wiping hands between colors and at the end

Steps

  1. 1

    Protect the table surface

    Lay newspaper or an old kitchen towel flat on the table before the child sits down. Squeeze a small amount of tempera into each lid or dish — about the size of a quarter per color is enough. Set the damp paper towels within reach.

    Tip: One color at a time is less messy and still looks great.

  2. 2

    Show the press-and-lift motion

    Dip your own palm lightly into the paint so it covers the surface without pooling in the creases. Press it flat onto a corner of the paper, then lift straight up without sliding. Let the child watch your print appear before they try.

    Tip: A light touch makes a cleaner print than pressing hard.

  3. 3

    Let the child fill the sheet

    Have the child dip their palm, shake off any drips over the dish, then press and lift across the paper. Encourage them to leave small gaps rather than overlapping every print. Wipe their hand with the damp towel before switching colors.

    Tip: Finger-tip prints fill gaps well and need no extra setup.

  4. 4

    Move on to the gift tags

    While the large sheet dries, hand the child the pre-cut card shapes. They dip a fingertip or the side of a thumb and press small prints onto each tag. Smaller surface, smaller motion — this is a good way to use the last of the paint.

    Tip: A pinky-finger tip makes a neat dot border around a tag edge.

  5. 5

    Set everything flat to dry

    Lay the printed paper and tags on a flat surface away from the activity area. Washable tempera dries in around ten minutes at room temperature. Walk the child to the sink and wash hands together now rather than waiting.

    Tip: Stack dry tags loosely — stacking while damp causes them to stick.

  6. 6

    Finish the tags together

    Once dry, punch a hole in the corner of each tag if you have a hole punch, and thread a short length of string or yarn through. If not, the tags are ready to use as-is with tape. Let the child decide who each piece of wrapping paper and each tag is for.

    Tip: Writing a name on the tag is a natural next step for ages 7–8.

Try it another way

  • For a child closer to eight, try overlapping two colors in a deliberate pattern — alternating red and blue prints in rows, for example.
  • If two siblings are involved, give each child a different color so the finished paper shows both sets of hands mixed together.
  • For a quieter version, skip the handprints entirely and use a folded piece of card as a stamp, pressing it lightly into the paint and dabbing it across the paper.

Keep in mind

  • Washable tempera will still stain fabric if left wet; put on an old shirt or roll up sleeves before starting.

What they get out of it

Children practice pressing and lifting with a steady hand, plan how to fill a space evenly, and make something with a real purpose they can give to someone.

Take it to the table

Materials checklist, the steps and the variations on one Letter page.

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