January is a great time to explore arctic animals with kids, and seals are such a fun one to include. When the weather is cold and winter themes are everywhere, arctic animal crafts feel especially fitting, whether you are working with preschoolers, toddlers, or early elementary kids. This handprint seal craft is simple, cute, and makes a lovely keepsake, using a child’s handprint to form the seal’s body.
Seals are fascinating arctic animals to learn about too. They live in cold ocean waters, spend a lot of time swimming, and can hold their breath underwater for surprisingly long periods. Their smooth bodies and whiskered faces make them instantly recognizable, which is perfect for a craft like this where kids can really see the animal take shape as they create it.
Materials for the Handprint Seal Craft
This handprint seal craft uses basic supplies you probably already have at home or in the classroom. Construction paper works well because it is sturdy and easy for little hands to glue. A marker is used at the end to add the seal’s spots and whiskers, which is often a favorite part for kids as it gives each seal its own personality.
How to Make the Handprint Seal Craft
Before starting, it helps to prepare the templates or have older children help with tracing. Younger children can focus on gluing and decorating, while older kids may enjoy assembling the entire seal themselves. Once everything is ready, follow the steps below to bring your handprint seal to life.
seal handprint craft
A cute and easy handprint seal craft that’s perfect for January and winter learning, combining arctic animal fun with fine motor practice and a keepsake kids will love creating.
Materials
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Black Marker
- Template if using
Tools
- Printer for the template
Instructions
- Print your pdf template, or draw the required shapes freehand. For the hand shape, draw around your child's hand. Cut and trace the templates to their corresponding papers and cut them out again.
- Assemble the templates one by one.
And attach the templates one by one to the handprint. - Attach the eyes and nose to the handprint.
- Attach the body at the back of the handprint.
- Add small dots to the handprint using the marker.
- Draw his whiskers using a marker.
This craft is a lovely mix of creativity and fine motor practice. Cutting, gluing, and placing the pieces all help build coordination, while the handprint element makes it feel personal and special.
Each seal will look slightly different, which is part of the charm and a great opportunity to talk about how animals, like people, are all unique.
Download the Seal Handprint Template PDF
To make this craft easy to set up, you can download the seal handprint template and print it out ready to use. The template helps keep the shapes consistent and saves time, especially if you are making several seals at once for a classroom, playgroup, or winter activity day.
This handprint seal craft is a simple but meaningful way to explore arctic animals during January and throughout the winter months. It works well as a standalone activity or as part of a larger arctic or polar animals theme, and it creates a keepsake that families often love to save.
More For the Arctic Animals Theme
If your kids are enjoying learning about arctic animals, which is one of the most popular preschool themes for January, then we have more ideas for you to add to your plans! This theme is easy to build on with more hands-on activities.
From polar bears and arctic foxes to penguins and seals, arctic animal crafts are a great way to explore cold habitats, animal adaptations, and winter wildlife while keeping kids creatively engaged.
- Arctic Animals printable yoga poses for kids
- Polar Arctic Animals Facts For Kids: Free Printable Cards and Games to Play with Them
- Arctic Fox Coloring Pages
- Free Printable Animal Habitat Worksheets
More Arctic Animals Handprint Crafts
If you enjoyed this seal craft, we have a whole series of arctic animals handprint crafts to explore. These are perfect for building a themed unit around polar animals, helping kids learn about different creatures while creating a fun collection of handprint art.
More Handprint Crafts for Kids
We also have many other handprint crafts in different themes, from animals to seasons and holidays. Handprint crafts are always popular with kids and parents alike, making them great for home, classrooms, and childcare settings.
- Easy Handprint Dinosaur Craft with Free Printable Template
- Handprint Unicorn Craft with Free Printable Template
- Handprint Grinch Craft
If you found this handprint seal craft helpful, please consider sharing the blog post with friends, family, or fellow educators. It really helps others discover our crafts and keeps these free activities available for everyone.
