Easy Handprint Jack-o-Lantern Craft for Kids

Learn how to make a Handprint Jack-o-Lantern craft with your children this Halloween season. Kids of all ages will have a lot of fun getting messy while they make their own Halloween handprint art. Let them get creative and make all sorts of spooky or funny faces on their Jack-o’Lanterns.

Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.

Are your kids excited about the spooky season? If you’re starting to get ready for this October, then start by taking a look at these other Halloween activities for kids. Or invest in the Halloween Activity Pack, which is filled with educational ideas for young kids.

Materials Needed

White construction paper
Orange paint
Black paint
Green paint
Paint brushes

How to Make a Handprint Jack-o-Lantern Craft

1. Paint your child’s hand orange.

I used acrylic paint for this craft, but there are a lot of different ways to make your handprint. After all, you can use any kind of washable paint you like.

Or trace around your childs little hands on a sheet of orange craft or orange tissue paper, and then cut the handprint shape out using a pair of scissors instead.

2. Press the hand onto a sheet of white paper.

If you are doing this activity with younger kids, like toddlers and preschoolers, make sure to explain to them that they need to keep their fingers still before they do this step. When my kids were young, they had the urge to move their fingers from side to side, unless I reminded them not to.

If your child likes to smudge their handprints like mine did, then I recommend having another sheet of paper ready to go. That way you can show your children that once they’ve made a fairly clear little handprint on the first page, then they get to finger paint however they like on the second page.

3. Let the paint dry.

4. Make the face.

I used black paint pens to draw the facial features. But once again, there are so many different fun ideas to try. You can:

Use a regular black marker
Cut the jack-o-lantern face out of black paper, and then glue the piece onto your handprint art project.
Cut the facial features out of the pumpkin handprint art, and place it on a black background.

5. Draw any extra details.

I used my green paint pen to draw the stem, vines and leaves around my jack-o-lantern. This is a great way for older kids to express their own creative ideas. You’ll all have so much fun seeing all the unique and fun ways your children took this easy craft and made it their own.

More Halloween Themed Arts and Crafts to try

You can’t go wrong with Halloween Handprint Crafts, or any kind of easy Halloween craft activity. Here are some of my favorite art and crafts to do with kids during the month of October.

For more ideas, take a look at these Halloween Crafts for Kids.