Teach preschool children about their hands, fingers and thumbs by drawing the outline of a tree with no leaves on white paper. Give the tree a lot of branches for thumbprint and fingerprint leaves to be made. Pour washable tempera paint into small shallow containers to use on the preschoolers' thumbs. Use autumn colors like yellow, gold, brown, red and orange. Use one color at a time and help children dip their thumb and fingers in the color and stamp leaves on the tree branches. Wipe the thumb and fingers clean after each color. Repeat the process with the rest of the colors until the tree is full of autumn leaves. These can be laminated to make Thanksgiving place mats or home decorations.
Teach children about how they can make animals with their hands and elbows by helping them print reindeer cards. Buy white or green four- by six--inch card-stock cards at a craft store. Pour washable brown tempera paint onto a paper plate. Ask the children to dip a hand in the paint or have an adult paint their hand with a paint brush. Stamp a single hand print in the middle on the front of the card. Let the children dip their elbow in red paint to make tiny blobs of color around the hand print. Let the paint dry and glue two googly eyes in the middle of the palm print. Write a holiday message on the inside.
Children will learn about the foot and its parts by creating a footprint chick. Use white paper or card-stock cards that are four by six inches. Pour yellow paint into a shallow dish or onto a paper plate. Have the children dip their foot in the yellow paint or an adult can paint their foot with a toothbrush. Remember, part of the fun is talking about how the brush tickles. Stamp the foot on the paper or card. When the paint is dry, turn the card around so the round part of the heel is on top. Cut three small triangles from orange paper. Glue one on the right side of the heel for a beak and two on the bottom of the toes for feet. Glue one googly eye to the left of the beak. The prints will look nice hung around the classroom or will make thoughtful gifts for springtime and Easter.