African American families and others began celebrating the seven-day holiday of Kwanzaa in 1966. It's a time to rejoice in one's heritage, to gather with family and friends, and to think about seven principles, including unity, responsibility, and creativity. As a way to put those principles to practical use, and to create some terrific, kid-made decorations for any family's holiday gathering, help your grandchildren make these handprint wreaths. They're simple to create but full of meaning: They represent the year gone by and each child's goals for the future. Save the wreaths from each season, and take them out each year during the holidays. The kids will love seeing how their hands, and their dreams, have grown.
Materials Needed:
Brightly colored construction paper or cardboard. Traditional colors are red, black, and green, but feel free to go with your own color scheme.
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Markers
- Stickers
- Glitter
- Glue
- Photos
Directions:
1. On the construction paper, trace your hands and the hands of your grandchildren with pencil.
2. Cut out the handprints.
3. Each person writes something on the back of his or her own handprint. Ideas include: the joy of being with family, special moments from the past year, milestones reached, goals for the upcoming year, or dreams for the future. Help little ones who can’t write by letting them dictate to you what their handprint should say.
4. Decorate the other side of the handprints with stickers, markers, glitter, photos, or any memorabilia from the year that is ending.
5. Paste each handprint together in a circular form to create a wreath-like wall hanging.
6. Hang prominently from a string so both sides of the wreath can be seen.
View all Winter Holiday crafts »
For more suggestions on starting family traditions with your grandchildren, click here. Elsewhere on Grandparents.com, join the discussion about what to do when your grandchildren are more religious than you, learn what grandmothers can teach their grandchildren, and discover the 25 reasons kids love their grandparents.
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