Winter is nearly here and we’re getting a head start on fun activities for the kids!

Recently we made a cute polar bear puppet and today we’re sharing this easy polar bear handprint craft.

It’s super simple and comes with a free printable template, so it is great for use at home or in the classroom.

The polar bear craft is well suited for preschoolers, kindergarten, and elementary children, but can also be used with toddlers if they have some adult help. It’s a fun winter animal craft for kids!

Since polar bears are arctic animals, it also makes a great craft idea for an arctic animal-themed study unit.

Read on below or watch our simple video tutorial to see how easy it is to make this handprint polar bear!

Handprint Polar Bear

We love handprint crafts for kids because they’re easy and cheap to make. We suggest using colored card stock, but if that’s not in the budget you can always use construction paper!

Besides paper, you’ll also need scissors and a glue stick! Can you believe how little you need to make this craft?!

In our example, we used foam snowflake stickers, but those are optional. If you don’t have any feel free to draw snowflakes on, use glue and salt to make snowflakes or skip the snowflake details altogether!

Supplies

• Colored card stock or construction paper
• Markers
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Foam sticker snowflakes
• Polar bear handprint template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

Download the polar bear template, print, and cut out the pieces.

Trace your child’s hand on a piece of white paper. Cut out the handprint and set it aside.

Glue the polar bear’s head onto the thumb.

Use the pink marker to draw in the polar bear’s inner ear and cheeks.

Use the black marker to draw the claws onto the bottom of the polar bear’s feet.

Glue the largest iceberg towards the bottom of the blue card stock. Optionally, cut or smaller-sized icebergs from the light blue paper and glue them above the larger iceberg.

Use the black marker to make water lines on the blue piece of card stock.

Place glue along the back of the polar bear handprint and glue it onto the large iceberg.

Place the foam snowflake stickers all around the paper for decoration.

This is such a fun and simple winter craft for kids to make. If your children enjoyed making it, they’ll also love making this wintery cardinal handprint craft!

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to download the free printable template.

Crafting Benefits

Did you realize that crafting with your kids (or students) is a fun way to teach them valuable skills? Yeah, no joke! It’s by far our favorite way to work on fine motor skills.

Since fine motor skills are necessary for learning how to write it’s important that we, as parents, help our kids work on them.

One great way to do that is to give kids an opportunity to practice cutting with scissors. If your child is older and able to use scissors already, they can do all the cutting in this craft from the icebergs to the handprint.

If however, your child is only beginning to learn to cut properly with scissors, then you’ll have to cut out the handprint for them.

You can have them assist you by cutting out the smaller icebergs. All they need to do is cut straight lines to make these.

Another easy way this polar bear craft helps kids with fine motor skills is with the snowflake stickers.

Being able to pull the foam stickers off the sticker backing and placing them exactly where they want them on the page will require patience and delicate hands.

Children will also get the added benefit of using the black marker to draw on the waves. This will help them practice holding a marker properly, which is essential to writing!

These are just a few of the ways this easy winter craft helps your child develop their skills. So the next time you make a craft with your kids, just remember it’s fun and educational!

More Winter Ideas For Kids

Find tons of other fun winter activities for the kids to do at home or at school!

Start off with books! We all know how beneficial reading to kids is, so let’s get some more bedtime reading in. Grab these books from the local library or buy them from Amazon to add them to your home library.

The Biggest Snowman Ever – When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever.

The Snowy Day – This story shows a child’s wonder at a new world and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.

Sneezy The Snowman– Sneezy is COLD! And he’s trying to warm up without success. But, the kids know exactly how to help him!

Winter Crafts For Kids

For more fun winter crafts, try out some of these popular ideas:

Walrus Arctic Animal Craft For Kids – Bundle up inside and make this fun walrus paper craft! This simple project only requires a few materials. All you need is some construction paper, scissors, glue, and our free template!

Snowman Snowglobe Craft – If you’re looking for a fun winter activity for kids that’s both creative and festive, look no further than this snowman craft! Your little ones will be proud to display their very own snowman.

Penguin Tissue Paper Craft – This winter, keep your little ones entertained with this easy penguin tissue paper craft. Not only is it delightful to look at, but it also helps kids practice fine motor skills.

Handprint Arctic Fox Craft – This handprint arctic fox craft for kids is not only simple, but it’s also a cute keepsake for parents. And there’s no paint necessary!

Winter Kids’ Activities

Fine motor skills are important for all sorts of activities, from holding a pencil to using a spoon. That’s why these winter pattern block mats are great for kids to use. They help to develop fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. Plus, they’re just plain fun! The mats feature different winter scenes, and kids can use the blocks to finish the designs.

Winter can be a tough time for kids. The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and there’s often not a lot to do. That’s why these winter do a dot printables are such a great activity for kids. Not only are they fun, but they’re also beneficial for visual discrimination, counting, and number recognition. Plus, they can be done indoors where it’s warm and dry.

Scissor skills are an important part of early childhood development. They help children to develop their fine motor skills and learn to manipulate small objects. However, learning how to use scissors properly can be a challenge for some kids. These penguin cutting activity printables are a fun way for kids to practice their scissor skills.

Share With Us

Did you make this craft with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s craft featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Winter Ideas For Kids

Polar Bear Template