Create this handprint crab painting art project for kids! This project is great for kids between the ages of four and eight, and it is perfect for both classroom and home settings. With project kids are encouraged to be creative and have fun!
Crab art project made with red handprints
This summer-themed crab art project encourages creativity but it is also really fun! You can do so many different things with this art project just by changing the background! You can modify this project for a group project by using a large piece of paper to make a whole group of crabs!
Related: Make a handprint and foot print lobster painting too!
This crab art explores different textures with this creative art project and experiment with shapes to help kids learn spatial awareness as they figure out how to get their crabs to fit in their art. It is a fantastic way to keep kids engaged during the summer break with a fun and memorable art project.
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Supplies you will need for this art project
How to make Handprint Crab Painting Art
First step: Create a background
Using markers or crayons draw a background for your crab. There are so many different things you can do with the background for this art project! You can change the story of the crab entirely just by the background. Does the crab live in a cave? Is it on a pirate ship or friends with a mermaid? Kids have even made this project silly, one kid made the crusty crab restaurant from Sponge Bob, and another kid a dinner plate!
Second Step: Paint their hands!
Now, paint both of the kids hands with red paint! If you don’t have red paint you can also use brown or blue for different color crabs. This has been the kids favorite part of the project!
Third Step: The first half of the crab
With one hand, place the kids hand down with their thumb facing up and their fingers outwards and spread apart. While you could do both hands at the same time, it does turn out a little better if you do one at a time so you can get the palm of the handprints to overlap so its easier to tell that its a crab.
Fourth Step: Finishing the crab
The last part to making this crab art project is placing down the other hand slightly overlapping the first handprint so the body of the crab is together. Like before make sure the thumb is pointing up and the fingers outwards. While the kids wash their hands, add some googly eyes to the tops of the thumbs of each handprint to finish the crab!
Our Handprint Crab Painting Art Projects:
This is how our handprint crabs came out! I love how silly they all are and the kids were all so creative with their backgrounds. Making this art project was super fun and we all had a good laugh about how silly some of them were!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Difficulty
easy
Estimated Cost
$1
Instructions
- Create a background for your crab.
- Paint both hands with red, blue, or brown paint.
- Place one hand down on the paper with the thumb pointed up, and the fingers spread out.
- Place the other hand down on the paper with the thumb pointed up and fingers spread on out on the other side.
- Add googly eyes to the top of the thumbs on the handprint.
More ocean art from kids activities blog:
What kind of silly crab art did you make? Tell us in the comments below!
