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Easy Handprint Bats Craft

Get ready to have some spooky fun with our adorable handprint bats, making them the perfect Halloween crafts for kids. Not only will your little ones love creating these handprint bats, but they’ll also work on their fine motor skills.

All you need is some construction paper, a bit of glue, and your child’s handprint to start this project. Great for at home or in a school setting, it’s particularly perfect for preschool and kindergarten children.

To help ensure your craft experience is as smooth and enjoyable as possible, we offer a free printable hand-drawn craft template to help guide the process.

White text on purple background at top says Handprint Bat Craft. Photo of bat made out of black paper using handprints for wings.

They will have a blast crafting and making Halloween decorations by tracing their hands, cutting out unique handprint shapes, and gluing them together to create adorable bats.

This fun and engaging activity can also be incorporated as part of a unit study, allowing children to explore their creativity while learning about bats or the Halloween season.

More Bat Crafts for Kids

If you’re looking for more crafty adventures to keep your kids entertained and engaged, our Halloween bat crafts are just the thing!

These craft activities are specially designed to be both fun and educational, making them the perfect addition to your Halloween-themed activities or even a unit study on these fascinating creatures of the night.

Benefits of Making Handprint Bats

Creating handprint bats is more than just a delightful Halloween activity; it’s also a fantastic opportunity for children to bolster their fine motor skills and unleash their creativity.

As kiddos trace their hands on construction paper, they practice control and precision, important elements of fine motor development.

The cutting and gluing processes further enhance their dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Also, this craft encourages creativity as children transform their handprints into unique bat decorations.

It’s a magical process that feeds their imagination, allowing them to see ordinary materials like paper and glue in a whole new light.

In essence, making handprint bats is a fun and educational activity that fosters personal growth while also making adorable Halloween decorations for the home or classroom.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a participant in other affiliate programs, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases.

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Is Tracing Important for Preschoolers?

The short answer is yes! Tracing activities help preschoolers develop their fine motor skills, a crucial aspect of their growth and development.

These skills are needed for everyday tasks like writing, tying shoelaces, using utensils, and dressing themselves. Hence, it’s important to introduce tracing activities early on to lay the foundation for strong fine motor skills in the future.

In addition, using the bat craft templates provides an excellent opportunity for preschoolers to practice tracing. They can trace the pieces onto paper, cut them out, and even trace their own hands. This allows them to have fun while developing important skills.

Two finished bat crafts made using traced hands for wings. The left bat is brown and the right bat is black.

Books About Bats for Kids

Reading about bats can be a fantastic extension activity to go along with the handprint bat craft. It can help kids to better understand these fascinating creatures, promoting a love for nature while adding another layer of fun to the crafting process. Here are three highly recommended bat books for kids.

Bo the Bat (Learn and Love Series)Bo the Bat (Learn and Love Series)Stellaluna 25th Anniversary EditionStellaluna 25th Anniversary EditionBats at the Library (A Bat Book)Bats at the Library (A Bat Book)

 

First off, we have “Bo the Bat” – a delightful tale that introduces children to the world of bats in a fun and engaging way.

Additionally, “Stellaluna” is a heartwarming story about a young bat’s adventures and “Bats at the Library” is a creative tale that encourages a love for reading.

These books not only enhance their knowledge about bats but also inspire a passion for reading. Pairing these books with the handprint bats project makes for a comprehensive and enjoyable learning experience.

Bat craft template, construction paper in black, brown, and pink, glue stick, scissors, and googly eyes laying out. Also fabric with black and white plaid and jack-o-lanterns along the top. A small prop headstone in the lower left corner.

Handprint Bat Craft Supplies

Here at Life With Darcy and Brian, we absolutely adore transforming simple craft materials into engaging projects that kids can’t get enough of! With a bit of creativity and a sprinkle of enthusiasm, we create magic!

  • Printable Bat Craft Template: This hand-drawn template was sketched during my crafting session, and it’s freely available for you to use. It will guide your little ones in their crafting journey, making the task of creating the bat’s head, body and ears fun and easy.
  • Construction Paper or Colored Cardstock Paper: We recommend having a variety of colors on hand, especially black and brown for the bat’s body and wings. Don’t forget the pink for the inner ear pieces! Feel adventurous? Why not try making purple bats? They’re a popular pick for Halloween!
  • Glue: A crafting essential! Whether you prefer liquid glue or glue sticks, both are perfect for ensuring that your bat pieces stick together.
  • Scissors: Another must-have for your crafting session. Kids will practice their fine motor skills as they cut out their bat shapes.
  • Googly Eyes (optional): Adding googly eyes can bring your bats to life, but if you prefer, we do include printable eyes in the template. Kids love the extra touch of personality they give to their bats!

Shop some of my favorite craft supplies on Amazon!

How to Make Handprint Bats

Begin by tracing your hands to create the bat’s wings. Then, either draw or cut out additional pieces to assemble the bat. You can also find a printable template for this hand-drawn bat craft at the end of the post.

If using the template, I highly recommend printing it on white cardstock paper for better tracing. The thicker paper makes it easier to work with.

Tracing template pieces on brown paper.

Trace the bat’s head, body, and ears onto black or brown paper, and carefully cut them out. Trace the smaller triangles onto pink paper and cut those out as well.

Bat ears glued onto head. Eyes and body pieces laying there by glue stick.

Next, glue the smaller pink triangular pieces onto the larger triangles to create the bat’s ears. Attach the ears to the top of the head and then connect the head to the body.

Bat head glued onto body.

For the wings, you can glue the handprint bat wings to each side of the bat’s body. They can be attached from behind or in front, depending on your preference.

Bat made with brown paper with handprints for the wings. Glue stick laying below the bat after attaching wings to it.

To add some character, attach googly eyes or use the paper eyes from our template. Cut out the mouth with fangs from the template and glue it onto the bat’s face.

Finished handprint bat craft made out of black paper. It has a cute silly face.

Alternatively, you can get creative and draw the bat’s face using markers, crayons, gel pens, or even glitter glue.

Finally, allow your project to completely dry before proudly displaying it.

Printable Halloween Activities

Our printable Halloween activities are the perfect way to extend the festive fun beyond craft time. Our Halloween PreK worksheets are designed with engaging and educational exercises to keep your little ones entertained while strengthening key skills.

For the book lovers, we also have Halloween bookmarks to color, which offer a creative outlet and result in a useful keepsake.

If you’re in the mood for some lively family fun, try our Halloween Charades game that promises laughter and enjoyment for all ages.

After your trick-or-treating adventure, make sorting and counting candy a fun activity with our Halloween Candy Scavenger Hunt. It combines the thrill of the traditional trick-or-treat experience with an exciting way to organize and tally your delicious treats.

Each of these resources adds a unique touch to your Halloween festivities, ensuring a memorable celebration.

Black and brown handprint bats angled as though they are flying away.

Fun Halloween Craft Kits

Perfect for rainy days or family craft nights, Halloween craft kits promise a fun-filled, creative, and memorable Halloween for you and your little ones. These kits come loaded with everything you need to create festive masterpieces at home. They offer a well-rounded array of activities that are not only fun but also aid in enhancing your child’s creativity and fine motor skills.

24 Pack Magic Scratch Paper Art Masks Set for Kids24 Pack Magic Scratch Paper Art Masks Set for KidsMade By Me Create Your Own Halloween Window Art, DIY Suncatcher KitMade By Me Create Your Own Halloween Window Art, DIY Suncatcher KitCreativity for Kids Halloween Window ArtCreativity for Kids Halloween Window ArtHalloween Craft Paper Ornaments for KidsHalloween Craft Paper Ornaments for KidsShyLizard 3Pack Halloween Crafts for Kids, Halloween Mason Jar with AccessoriesShyLizard 3Pack Halloween Crafts for Kids, Halloween Mason Jar with AccessoriesKlever Kits Halloween Big Gem Diamond Painting KitKlever Kits Halloween Big Gem Diamond Painting Kit

 

More Halloween Crafts for Kids

For those who simply can’t get enough of Halloween crafts, we’ve got you covered! Here’s a collection of handpicked DIY projects that your little ghouls and goblins will absolutely love. Each one is certain to add a touch of spooky fun to your celebrations. Plus, these crafts are as fun to make as they are to display.

Halloween would not be complete without the thrill of crafting and the creative delight it brings to our young ones. We hope you enjoy making these handprint bats, a hands-on, kid-friendly project, perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

Made with simple construction paper, your children can create their own spooky bat with handprint wings using our free printable craft template. It’s a wonderful keepsake that captures the size of your child’s hand, which is something you’ll cherish as they grow.

Finished handprint bat craft made out of black paper. It has a cute silly face.

Handprint Bats Halloween Craft

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5 or less

These handprint bats are a fun and easy Halloween craft for preschool and kindergarten.

Materials

  • Construction Paper or Colored Cardstock Paper
  • Glue
  • Handprint Bat Craft Template (optional)
  • Googly Eyes (optional)

Tools

  • Pencil
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Start by tracing your hands as these will be the bat's wings. Then freehand draw or cut out pieces to create your bat. You can also get my hand drawn bat craft printable template at the bottom of this post.
  2. If using the template, I highly recommend printing it out on white cardstock paper. The thicker paper makes it easier to trace the pieces.
  3. Trace the bat head, body, and ears onto black or brown paper and cut them out. Trace the smaller triangles onto pink paper and cut them out.
  4. Glue the smaller pink triangular pieces onto the larger triangular pieces to make the bat's ears.
  5. Glue the ears behind the top of the head. Attach the head to the top of the body.
  6. You can glue the handprint bat wings onto each side of the bat body. They can be attached from behind or in the front.
  7. Glue on googly eyes or use the paper eyes from our template. Cut out the mouth with fangs from the template and glue it onto the bat's face.
  8. Alternatively, you could draw the bat's face on using markers, crayons, gel pens, or even glitter glue.
  9. Allow your project to completely dry before displaying.

Recommended Products

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Did you make this project?

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