# Glitter Salt Handprint Christmas Cards > Kids press a painted rainbow handprint onto a folded card, then flip it into a tray of salt, glitter and sequins while the paint is still wet. The result is sparkly homemade Christmas cards. A coat of Mod Podge keeps the sparkle on. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-christmas-cards/ - Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high - Time: prep 10 min, activity 20 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids - Skills: color-mixing, fine-motor, sequencing, sensory-exploration, pre-writing - Cautions: ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - Salt (household) - Glitter - Sequins - 3 dollop Kids washable paint - 1 sheet Bright white card stock - 1 piece Paper plate (household) - 1 piece Shallow tray or bin (household) - Mod Podge waterbase sealer - Foil washi tape (optional) - 1 piece Paintbrush (optional) (household) - Wipes or paper towels (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of mod podge: Clear contact paper cut to the card's shape (TurkeyMom used this the first time to keep the salt and glitter contained, before she discovered Mod Podge.) - Instead of mod podge: A store-bought glitter sealant (The post mentions there are many glitter sealants on the market.) ## Safety - Glitter and sequins are small parts and a choking hazard. Supervise toddlers closely and keep hands away from mouths. - Keep salt and glitter away from eyes. Wash painted, glittery hands before kids touch their faces. - Use kids' washable paint for the handprints. - An adult applies the Mod Podge sealer once the card is dry. ## Before you start - Fold sheets of card stock in half to make blank cards. ## Steps 1. Fill a tray with salt and mix in lots of glitter and sequins. Don't use too much salt or the cards turn out too white. 2. Squeeze 3-4 dollops of washable paint onto a paper plate in a triangle. Primary colors are best. 3. Press your hand firmly on the paint until your whole palm is covered. 4. Press a rainbow handprint onto the front of a folded card. 5. Right away, while the paint is wet, flip the card over into the glitter salt tray and press gently. 6. Flip the card back and brush off the extra salt. 7. Adult: when the print is dry, brush a coat of Mod Podge over the handprint to keep the sparkle on. 8. Decorate the edges of the card with washi tape if you like. ## Tips - Get the proportions right in the tray. You don't want the cards to be too 'salty', I mean too white. - Try to have primary colors for added color mixing lessons. Letting the kids choose and mix and match their own colors got them really into it. - Do the flip while the paint is still wet so the glitter and salt stick. - The older the child, the clearer the prints are. - For a 2 year old, an activity with 4 steps that has to go in a particular order is a good exercise. Baby A was thrilled to complete it on her own. - The glitter-sequin-salt tray makes an amazing writing medium. With a paint brush, kids can practice writing right there. Baby A learned to draw a circle in our shiny salt tray. - Homemade cards always make good writing prompts. - A parent did this with her 2-year-old, who absolutely loved it. (from readers) ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2018) **Updated : We first did this in 2013 and redid this Christmas craft again this year. I must say the kids are still very much interested in it.** With a wonderful Thanksgiving day behind us, we are on our officially on our way towards Christmas. What's better than starting Christmas crafts for kids with simple, shiny homemade Christmas cards? For the homemade Christmas cards you will need: Materials - Salt - **[G](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F8T4O0/?tag=blmemo-20)[litter](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F8T4O0/?tag=blmemo-20)** - **[Sequins](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FTJFR8/?tag=blmemo-20)** - **[Paint](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYWS5XW/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Foil Washi Tape](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795KK1HV/?tag=blmemo-20)** - **[Bright White Card Stock paper](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A2I5T8/?tag=blmemo-20)** - **[Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IKES5O/?tag=blmemo-20)** Make a simple glitter salt sequins tray by adding salt and lots of glitter and sequins. Make sure you get the proportions right because you don’t want the cards to be too “salty”, I mean too white. The image should give you a fair idea of the proportions. We started off with adding 3-4 dollops of **kids washable paint** on a paper plate in a triangular fashion. Try to have primary colors for added color mixing lessons. In our case, Big A chose the colors and had fun with the selection process. Have the kid press firmly on the paint making sure she/he gets paint all over the palm. Make rainbow hand prints on a card stock paper folded in half in order to make a card. Note: I couldn't get a good picture of the hand print using the above paint colors. Immediately flip the card stock paper over and place it in the glitter salt tray and press gently. Make sure you do this when the paint is still wet in order for the glitter and salt to get stuck to the paint. Flip it back and brush off the excess salt. There you have it, your own beautiful rainbow glitter homemade Christmas card. I have seen that homemade cards always make good writing prompts. I stuck a piece of clear contact paper cut out to shape to keep the salt and glitter contained. If you are keen on not losing the shine, there are many glitter sealants in the market you could use to protect the spill over. {Edit: A coat of Mod Podge over the handprint is all it took to keep the salt and glitter intact. I did not know something magical called Mod Podge existed 5 years ago} Homemade Christmas cards are so simple to make with kids and make one of the best Christmas gifts. We made quite a few Christmas cards with just a few supplies. As you can see the older the child, the clearer the prints are.Big A was thoroughly psyched by this activity that she independently did all the 4 simple steps. The incentive: she got to mix and match her own color combinations. That kind of freedom got her really into the activity.Baby A, by law has to love the same things her sister does. For a 2 year old, an activity with 4 steps that has to go in a particular order is a good exercise, an exercise she was thrilled to complete on her own. Here are some of her adorable independent art work. **Done again in 2018** [ ](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-christmas-cards/glitter-handprints/) Here are the little ones making numerous glittering hand prints Christmas cards for the entire neighborhood ! We saw this activity at an art studio and the girls loved it. We came home and turned them into cards. **Edit: Done again in 2018** Glad to see the their baby hands still. One of the perks of having petite children. Cotton candy colors make the homemade card so pleasing to the eye { think cards for baby showers, new baby etc} Now the kids came up with the idea of using their favorite craft supply { washi tape} to embellish the card. Quick Tip: The glitter-sequin-salt tray makes an amazing writing medium. With a paint brush , kids can develop their writing skills right there. Baby A learned to draw a circle in our very own shiny salt tray. Try our airbrushed [**homemeade Christmas cards**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-christmas-cards-gifts-airbrush-art-kit/) too. Looking for more simple Christmas crafts for kids? Here are a few. - [**Simple Christmas wreath toddlers can make**](https://www.funlittles.com/christmas-crafts-for-kids-christmas-wreath/) - [**Foil wrapped ornaments**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-ornaments-foil-wrapped/) - [**Sparkly Christmas Hats**](https://www.funlittles.com/christmas-crafts-for-kids-christmas-tree-hat-craft/)