Teaching With Terhune: Handprint Calendar – Student Made Calendar for a Parent Christmas Gift

You might think I'm crazy writing a blog post about parent Christmas gifts in June, but it's actually one of my summer time - prep for the next school year - projects. Let me explain...

There are always so many options when deciding on what you want your students to make and give their parents as a Christmas gift each year. I always look for something that is cheap, doesn't take up much class time, and is a great keepsake for parents. These handprint calendars are one of my top favs! Not only is it a great keepsake but it's something parents can actually use and for a whole year!

I actually prep - print - and bind these calendars during the summer. I do that so they are ready to begin at the beginning of the school year. All you need is cardstock paper, paint, and binding combs to make these adorable calendars.

At first look you might think these calendars would be so time consuming to have students make but I have it broken down so it doesn't take up a lot of class time and is a stress-free project.

Here's what I do....

1. First, during the summer I decide what pages I want to include in my handprint calendar books. After I decide on the pages I print and bind them together. I prep these calendars during the summer so they are ready to begin once the beginning of the school year craziness settles down. Also, by starting these calendars early in the school year you can break it down to a weekly project when you have extra class time.

When picking the pages for my calendars I decide what kind of cover I want them to have. There are three different cover pages to choose from.

There's a cover that has a big blank space so student's can make their own handprint design on the cover. (I usually have them make a heart handprint on this cover.)

Then there are two different handprint clipart cover options. One that has hearts in the middle of the handprints and another that has the calendar year on the handprints.

(If you don't prep these ahead of time you could totally let your students decide which cover option they would like.)

Not only can you have your students color their cover page but they can also add their handprint as well!

2. Not only do I have to choose which cover page my calendars are going to have but I also have to decide what handprint crafts I want my students to make for each month.

There are two different handprint poem options for each month. Here's a look at the different options to choose from for each month:

January

(Penguin and Snowflake)

Penguin

Snowflake

February

(Valentine, Heart, and Ladybug)

Valentine

Heart

Ladybug

March

(Shamrock and Leprechaun)

Shamrock

Leprechaun

April

(Bunny and Rain)

Bunny

Rain

May

(Chick and Tulips)

Chick

Tulips

June

(Butterfly and Strawberry)

Butterfly

Strawberry

July

(Flag and Watermelon)

Flag

Watermelon

August

(Fish and Sun)

Fish

Sun

September

(Tree and Apple)

Tree

Apple

October

(Pumpkin and Spider)

Pumpkin

Spider

November

(Leaf and Turkey)

Leaf

Turkey

December

(Santa and Snowman)

Santa

Snowman

Once I decide what handprints I want my students to make for each month I copy the handprint poem pages and yearly calendars on cardstock paper. I print them front-to-back so when you open the calendar the poem and handprint are on the top and the calendar is on the bottom.

I also copy these two keepsake pages to add to the back of each student's calendar.

This page has The Hands of a Child poem by Amy Ethridge on it. I have the students add their handprint in the box.

This page is an all about me page the students fill out about themselves.

They are a perfect addition to the back of the calendar book.

3. Once I have all the pages copied I bind the books together. I use our school's comb binding machine. If you don't have a binding machine you could use book rings, ribbon, etc.

The 3/8 inch binding combs are the perfect size to use with the calendars.

4. Finally it's time to start adding student handprints to the calendar pages!

I use washable tempera paint for the handprints.

To make this calendar project stress free and fast I break the handprints down to about one a week (starting in September). Each week I pick a day (usually when all the students are there) to make one of the handprints. I call students up one at a time and paint /stamp their handprint. I usually do this during quiet classwork time or during center time.

Once the handprints have dried I give the students their calendar books to add details and finish up the handprint poem page. This is a good project to have students work on when there is extra class time, when they have finished their work early, etc.

For example, after the handprint dried this student added dots and an antenna to their ladybug. They also colored the poem page and calendar page. Some students might even add grass, plants, etc. to their ladybug picture.

Some students might choose to leave the calendar blank or add special dates to it.

I continue this one handprint a week schedule until the calendars are finished. By starting in September is allows for a couple extra weeks in December to finish up incase we get behind.