Dreaming of Spring: Finger Painting Egg Cards

Toddlers and pre-schoolers will love this fun card making technique!

Materials

• Cardstock (we went with black)
• Scissors
• Pencil/eraser and/or permanent marker
• Non-toxic paint (we went with bright colours so that they would be vibrant on the paper)
• Contact paper
• Paint tray
• Washi tape
• Craft tray
• Smock

Directions

• Fold your cardstock in half, making a card.  Place it into your craft tray.

• Cut out a piece of contact paper that is bigger than the size of your card.  (We used some wood-grain leftover contact paper that we had for another project just so it was easy to see in the photos, but you can pick up contact paper at dollar stores, hardware stores and home goods stores or use a piece of cardstock instead and tape it on.)

• On the peel-off side of your contact paper, draw an egg (some brands will require that this be done in permanent marker.)

• Gently fold your contact paper in half and make a little snip in the centre of your egg.  Cut out the egg, making a stencil.   Peel off the backing.  You may need an adult to help you with this part.

• Adhere this to your card, overlapping onto your craft tray. (You may require some adult assistance with this step as well- it can be sticky stuff!)

• Assure that there is contact on all parts and smooth out any bubbles.

• Finger paint your egg, overlapping onto your contact paper to form sharp edges.

• Depending on your age and abilities, carefully remove your contact paper or have an adult remove it for you.

• The toddler version:

• With big sister doing the removal process!

• Allow your card to dry overnight.

• Embellish your card with washi (paper) tape if you like.

• Give your card to a friend, loved one etc. to celebrate Easter!

Purpose

• Experimenting and exploring with various materials (finger painting is a sensory experience)
• Thinking of others
• Recognizing symbols of various holidays, celebrations

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care & supervision.
• We suggest using a craft tray and wearing a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use non-toxic products.