Kids Crafts Craft Projects for Kids

11 Adorable Footprint Crafts for Kids

11 Adorable Footprint Crafts for Kids

The family is having fun with colors in the yard
Nikola Stojadinovic / Getty Images

Kids’ footprint crafts are not only sweet, but they capture a moment (and shoe size) in time, making them especially personal and thoughtful. Print art is also a great entry point for little ones interested in painting; even beginners can apply paint, press, and create the desired image. Encourage kids to get creative with their print and stamp art: make a bunch of footprints then allow them to re-interpret the shapes into different animals and objects with more paint, googly eyes, construction paper, and pom poms. Glance through the ideas below, then get started creating your own footprint artwork to hang around the house, gift to the grandparents, or include in a child’s scrapbook.

  • 01 of 11

    Footprint Unicorn Art

    Footprint Unicorn

    Live Learn Love Eat

    It can be tricky to freehand a realistic unicorn, so remove that obstacle by using a footprint for the horse’s head. Kids can add personality to their unicorn with paint (or sub washable markers for easier cleanup), and break out the glitter glue for a truly magical piece of artwork. Feeling especially ambitious? Encourage aspiring storytellers to write a short tale about their magical creature too.

    Pro tip: Add your child’s age and date to all foot(and hand)print artwork for the most documented keepsake. Bigger kids, and even teens, will love looking back on their early creations and tiny toes.

    Footprint Unicorn Art from Live Learn Love Eat

  • 02 of 11

    Bunny Footprint Card

    Bunny Footprint Card

     Messy Little Monster

    While your little ones are especially young, consider capturing their footprints with this adorable homemade card. Stamp a pair of teeny feet, then transform them into a couple of rabbits with a few small additions. Write a sweet, pun-y greeting (try: “Hopping You Have a Great Holiday,” or “Some Bunny Wishes You a Hoppy Mother’s Day”), and send to a loved one. Insert a photo of your child in bunny ears for an especially thoughtful homemade gift. Have a big(er) kid at home? Scale down to one footprint, encourage them to decorate it themselves, and this idea absolutely still works.

    Bunny Footprint Card from Messy Little Monster

  • 03 of 11

    Footprint and Handprint Marine Art

    Marine Art

    I Heart Crafty Things

    Involve even the teeniest of kiddos in this cute project. Little feet (and hands) make the perfect base for aquatic creatures, and older kids can jump in and help finish the artwork with bubbles, googly eyes, and tissue paper seaweed. Create a few underwater murals and hang them together in a group on a kids’ room wall for a great pop of color and interest.

    Footprint and Handprint Marine Art from I Heart Crafty Things

  • 04 of 11

    Cut-out Footprint Penguin

    Footprint Penguin

     Simple Everyday Mom

    Practice scissor skills with your kids through this craft; there are plenty of small curves and angles to snip around. That being said, this project is better suited for school-aged children (or littler ones with an adult’s close supervision and a pair of safety scissors). Consider making a whole family of penguins using your own family’s differently sized and shaped feet. Decorate the arctic flock with construction paper, pom poms, or glitter.

    Cut-out Footprint Penguin from Simple Everyday Mom

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  • 05 of 11

    Footprint Rocket

    Footprint Rocket

     The Best Ideas for Kids

    Go beyond with this clever footprint craft. This rocket ship print art makes an especially lovely, personalized greeting card cover, so try creating one this Father’s Day. Up the ante by adding an outer-space themed greeting or two as well. Hint: Use a pre-glittered foam star stickers for the galactic background; it’ll save you on both time and cleanup.

    Footprint Rocket from The Best Ideas for Kids

  • 06 of 11

    3D Footprint Lion

    Footprint Lion

     The Chirping Moms

    Kids can absolutely derive any number of zoo animals from a simple footprint or two, but this lion tutorial really comes to life with the simple help of strips of construction paper. Encourage children to give the lion a setting too; this could be a wonderful opportunity for a fun mini-lesson on food chains, natural habitats, or environmental conservation. For an artistic challenge, use ribbon (curl it using a sharp scissor edge) for a more chaotic, dynamic lion’s mane.

    3D Footprint Lion from The Chirping Moms

  • 07 of 11

    Footprint Garden

    Footprint Garden

    Elle Olive & Co 

    Welcome warm weather with a colorful piece of “floral” artwork. Cluster painted footprints together, then little artists can add stems, leaves, and backgrounds. Encourage kids to head outside and observe (or even photograph) the infinite organic shapes found in nature to really challenge that “circle and petals” style of floral art. These still lifes look especially cute clustered in groups of three and hung in a cheery place in the kitchen.

    Footprint Garden from Elle Olive & Co

  • 08 of 11

    Footprint Guitar

    Footprint Guitar

     CatScrapbooking

    A wonderful opportunity to teach kids about a new instrument, or play music featuring a certain sound, this smart artwork uses the shape of a foot to create a guitar. It also gives little ones a chance to practice using a ruler as a straight edge--those guitar strings are not super beginner-friendly, but with some guidance can turn out really cute. So, turn on some music, and start print-making as a family.

    Footprint Guitar from CatScrapbooking

    Continue to 9 of 11 below
  • 09 of 11

    Footprint Monster Thank-You Notes

    Monster Card

     The Crafter Life

    Involve your child in the thank-you card process post-birthday party as much as possible to encourage gratitude from an early age, and if they’re too little to write letters, start them with creating original artwork. These mini monster cards turn out super cute, and your kids’ teeny toes are the perfect template for a pair of bugging eyes. Add another personal touch by using a child’s thumbprint as his/her signature inside the card.

    Footprint Monster Thank-You Notes from The Crafter Life

  • 10 of 11

    Shrunken Footprint Butterfly Keychain

    Butterfly Keychain

    The Best Ideas for Kids

    Opt for bright colors with this cute, simple project, and it’s as fun to gift as it is to make. Simply stripe kids’ feet in multi-hued ink or paint, then stamp them in pairs on blank, shrinkable plastic. The colorful footprints make a perfect miniature butterfly (or tropical bird, or wildflower, or sunset), just draw your own finishing touches once the plastic comes out of the oven. These colorful charms work as personalized gift tags or pendant necklaces too.

    Shrunken Footprint Butterfly Keychain from The Best Ideas for Kids

  • 11 of 11

    Footprint Ghost Puppets

    Footprint Ghost Puppet

    Toddler Approved

    It’s always a win to turn an art project into a toy, so this easy ghost puppet DIY is ideal. The greater variety in size and shape of feet the better for this project, so get the whole family involved tracing their feet onto cardstock. Also, these little ghosts look more charming with less precise cuts, so even amateur scissor-users can achieve the desired product.

    Footprint Ghost Puppets from Toddler Approved