Your little one has been growing up so fast, and it's hard to keep track of all the milestones. It's time for a way to commemorate those precious memories that go by too fast! The best way is with a keepsake canvas art project. The features canvas paintings for kids are easy-to-do projects that will produce a memorable piece of artwork. You and your child will cherish them forever. These DIY canvas art ideas also make great gifts for grandparents or other family members.
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We wanted to share some ideas for creating keepsakes with your kids today. Then one day, when your kids are grown with families of their own, you'll look back on these crafts and see how much fun you had together!
Grab a canvas, some paint, and a few other supplies and start creating. You'll have a personalized piece of canvas art in no time flat. Check out our kids paint tips here!
Fun Handprint Canvas Art for Kids
Handprint Fish Canvas Painting: These handprint fish will look so cute in your child's room. We added extra personal touches by making fingerprint bubbles and smaller fingerprint fish alongside the larger handprint ones.
Fire Truck Hand Art from The Inspiration Edit: Kids love fire trucks! This adorable piece of handprint art is perfect for decorating a fire truck-themed room or for giving as a gift for Father's Day, especially if Dad is a fireman.
Kid-made Dinosaur Art from Simple Everyday Mom: If your preschooler or kindergartener is obsessed with dinosaurs, they'll have a roaring good time with this dinosaur canvas art. They'll make a cute stegosaurus that they can embellish with bright colors and fun patterns. Add some grasses, trees, and a volcano, and your prehistoric scene is set.
Space Rocket Painting Craft from The Inspiration Edit: Blast off with a space-themed handprint craft! Your little astronaut-in-training is sure to love seeing their handprints turned into flames that are shooting out of the rocket as it launches.
The Incredibles Superhero Keepsake Craft from Messy Little Monster: Do you love The Incredibles as much as we do? Imagine that you all have superpowers and make some of these superhero handprint crafts! Make one for each family member and hang them all up together to show that superfamilies stick together.
Keepsake Canvas Painting Ideas for Kids
Handprint Poem and Canvas Keepsake: Parents always appreciate their kids' handprints alongside a sweet poem. These canvases will look so cute when they're displayed. You can then add them to your child's memory box for safekeeping.
You Are My Sunshine Keepsake from The Realistic Mama: You've probably sung the song You Are My Sunshine to your child many times over the years. Commemorate those sweet moments with this keepsake canvas featuring a bright yellow sun with its rays made out of your child's handprints.
Yearly Handprint Canvas from Mama Papa Bubba: We love this creative way of commemorating your child's growth. Make a handprint canvas every year on your child's birthday to mark their hands at that very age. These canvases are pretty enough to display in your living room but would look cute in your child's room, too.
Family Fingerprint Tree Keepsake: Create something beautiful together as a family. This autumn tree is a lovely choice. One child can make the handprint trunk, while all the other family members add their fingerprint leaves around the tree. If it's springtime, you could make a cherry blossom tree that would be just as lovely.
→Are you following our TPT Shop? Check it out HERE! You'll find creative learning activity printables and kids craft templates.
Kids Canvas Paintings Inspired by Books
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Handprint Art from Homeschool Preschool: Turn your child's favorite book character into a cute handprint craft. This is a terrific craft for the classroom, at library story hour, or home.
Fox in Socks Canvas from The Inspiration Edit: Fox in Socks is a childhood classic. If your child is a fan of this fun-tastical story, make this handprint craft! It'll also be a nice addition to a Dr. Seuss-themed playroom or nursery.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 Canvas from 123 Homeschool 4 Me: How about a joint sibling handprint keepsake? You'll love this whimsical Thing 1 and Thing 2 canvas featuring your favorite blue-haired characters.
The Cat in the Hat Painting for Kids from The Inspiration Edit: Of course, with all these Seuss handprint crafts, you can't forget The Cat in the Hat. You can also make the handprint fish to go along with him.
DIY Canvas Gifts for Moms and Dads
Here are some oh-so-sweet handprint canvas art gifts to make for Mother's Day or Father's Day. They also make great handmade Grandparents Day gifts from kids.
Handprint Dad Art Project: Are you looking for a creative craft for Father's Day? This Little Man handprint canvas keepsake makes the cutest gift for dads or grandpas! You can personalize it by having your little ones add their prints. Write, “Happy Father’s Day from your little man!” if it's from a boy or another endearing message if it's from a girl. Change his hair color, shirt color, etc. to make him look just like Daddy.
Mother's Day Mixed Media Bouquet from Fun-A-Day: This sweet little craft features a child's handprint holding a bouquet of pretty tissue paper flowers. It'd be perfect for mother's day in the classroom, and grandma would love one too!
Love in Daddy's Hands Gift Idea: We have a special Father's Day daddy-and-me craft for all the proud dads out there. This "There’s Alway Love in Dad's Hands" canvas art is inspired by the country song, “Daddy’s Hands." It would make an excellent present to put on the wall of a man-cave.
These Hands Will Hold My Heart Forever: This project is part collage, part handprint art, and part keepsake. You'll treasure the saying as you look at your kids' little hands years from now when they're so much bigger.
Holiday Canvas Paintings for Kids
These footprint and handprint canvas art projects are especially fun to make around the holidays or for the different seasons. They are great for gift giving or to display as seasonal kid-made decorations.
Fingerprint Chinese Lucky Tree Canvas Keepsake: If you're looking for a Chinese New Year craft, a lucky tree should be on your list. Decorate the tree in yellows and reds (colors for good fortune), and write a Chinese symbol for luck or fortune alongside your tree.
Fourth of July Handprint Paintings: Celebrate our independence with two of our most popular national symbols. Uncle Sam and the bald eagle are symbols most kids recognize as representative of our country. It's easier than ever to make them using your child's handprints. These would be so cute to add to a care package for soldiers, too.
Spooky Foot Prints Wall Decor from The Keeper of Cheerios Blog: Make adorable Frankensteins, witches, and ghosts on 3 separate canvas panels that hang down from each other. So fun!
Adorable Turkey Canvases from Simply Today Life: Let the kids make some cute keepsakes for Thanksgiving. You can use them to add a bit of flair to your kid's table or mantle for the holiday.
DIY Canvas Ideas for Spring and Easter
Footprint Bunny Easter Keepsake Canvas: You'll have a very "hoppy" Easter when you take some time to make this cute craft together. If your child's foot is small enough, you could put this on folded cardstock to make a lovely Easter card for the grandparents.
Shamrock Canvas from Simply Today Life: Speaking of luck, how about a canvas art project celebrating the luck of the Irish? This shamrock craft is super easy to make and will make a wonderful addition to your St. Patrick's Day decor.
Rainbow Handprint Keepsake: You can't celebrate St. Patrick's Day without a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end! Kids will love making these bright, colorful keepsake canvases during the spring. You can leave off the coins if you like and just make a handprint rainbow if you've missed St. Patrick's Day, but we think the coins add a nice, sparkly touch.
Festive Christmas and Winter Keepsakes
Whether making canvas paintings to hang up in the home or give as a Christmas gift, these make a fun way to get kids into the holiday spirit!
Footprint Penguin Canvas Keepsake: Have each of your children contribute a footprint to this darling penguin keepsake. It reads, "Let it snow," and will remind you of your favorite winter memories whenever you look at it.
Christmas Train Craft from The Keeper of Cheerios Blog: This is such a neat idea for kids who are obsessed with trains! They will get a kick out of the candy wheels!
Valentine's Day Art Projects for Kids
Heart Valentine Canvas from Burlap and Blue: Handprint hearts are quite popular for Valentine's Day, but this version has a cute spin on it with the X's and O's written around the handprints in a heart shape. You could make this craft with your child's footprints, too! And it's not Valentine's Day-specific. This would make a lovely kids' canvas art project for any time of year.
Handprint and Footprint Love Craft from Simply Today Life: Spell out just how much you love your mom, dad, or grandparents with this beautiful LOVE canvas made with the kids' handprints and footprints. It's a cute sibling project if you have more than one child. It'll look great in your home all year long, not just in February.
The possibilities are endless for what you can create with your children's handprints and footprints. You could frame the prints or use them to make a canvas art piece that will last forever! Making keepsake canvases is a beautiful way to preserve these precious memories of their childhood. We bet you'll smile every time you walk past one of these mementos hanging on your walls. What fun DIY canvas art project ideas have you made with your kids?
