On the first day of preschool, help your students make a personal storage box that they can use throughout the school year. Give each child a small, empty shoe box in good condition. Next, give each student a piece of white bulletin board paper big enough to cover the entire outside of the box. Give students finger paint in a variety of colors, and show them how to make hand prints on the paper. Let the paper dry, then cover the outside of the box, using glue or staples to attach. Give students glitter, glue, ribbon and other craft items to personalize their boxes. Help them write their names on the top of the boxes with markers.
Enchanted Learning recommends creating a colorful classroom display by using hand prints and paper plates to make suns. Take a picture of each student in the classroom. Give each student a paper plate and yellow paint, and encourage them to paint the plate. While the paint dries, help students trace around their hands on yellow paper. Cut out six hand prints for each student, and help them attach the hand prints around the paper plate with the fingers facing outward to create rays. To complete the project, glue the student's picture onto the middle of the paper plate.
Commemorate the first day of class by making a book of hand prints. Give each student a piece of plain paper and finger paint. You may choose to let each student use a different color paint, or use the same color for consistency. Show students how to carefully dip their hand into the paint and then place it on the paper to make a hand print. Help students write their name on the bottom of the paper, and decorate it with glitter or markers if desired. Gather all the pages together and punch two holes on the left side of each page. Loop string or yarn through the holes and tie to make a book. Laminate the pages before binding if desired.
Use hand prints to make crazy creatures for the classroom. Give students paper and finger paints, and instruct them to make a hand print on their paper. Provide markers, paints and paint brushes, glitter, wiggly eyes and pompoms for students to make their own crazy creature. Show students how turning the paper upside down or to the side makes the hand print look like an animal. Help them to add decorations to make their creature. Ask them to name the creature and help them to write the name on the bottom of the page.