Fingerprint Bugs

Recommended Age Group: 2.5 Years +

Materials Required:

• White Paper
• Washable Ink Stamp Pad
• Black Fine Tipped Marker
• Small Google Eyes

Instructions:
Children love to make fingerprints, so let yours have her chance!

Protect your work surface before you begin, and be sure you are using washable ink to avoid days of stained fingers and possibly stained clothing and furniture.

Place the white paper and stamp pad on the work surface. Show your child how to press her fingers into the pad to cover the pads of her fingers with ink. You want only the round pads of the fingers, for this project, not a full fingertip as with identification finger prints.

Once a finger is coated nicely with ink, help your child press it firmly to the white paper. Pull the finger straight up and there should be a nice fingerprint left behind. Carefully make another fingerprint to the right of the first that is slightly overlapping. Repeat again until you have three round fingerprints forming the body of your bug.

With your black pen and your child’s help, draw in the legs of your bug. Also draw in the antennae. Be creative with legs and antennae – are they long and narrow? Twirly? Let your child flex her imagination as she comes up with interesting characteristics for her little bug. Then, when all legs, antennae and other facial features are complete, let her carefully place the tiny googly eyes on the head of the bug to complete the creation.

Younger children may enjoy making fingerprints all over the page, which you can then help turn into creative little critters. Older children can take full command of the project creating their own bugs and possibly background scenes as well.

Try all manners of creations with vertically stacked fingerprints for bugs on two legs, many joined horizontal fingerprints for caterpillars, and a single fingerprint and wings for little flying bugs. Have fun and enjoy all of your little critters!