One of my daughter’s favorite jobs at preschool was being the weather helper. They rotated who helped the teacher put up symbols representing the weather as well as learning the days of the week. She was always thrilled to share on sunny days.

I understand because the sun makes me happy too.

This is what I love about craft ideas for kids though! The Sun can be used for a variety of learning activities from the weather to opposites (day versus night). Of course, you can help your children set up this activity and let them have fun as is, but you can also use it as a conversation starter (I share a few ideas below).

My three year old loved to tell me it is day time because the sun is up. Gotta love little kid observations, right? (Well, except when he insists it is not bedtime because he can still see the sun on summer evenings.

Handprint Sun Paper Plate Craft

This post contains affiliate links to craft supplies you may find helpful. 

Materials:
Paper plate
Yellow craft paint
Orange glitter glue (or an orange marker)
Orange and yellow construction paper
Scissors
Glue stick or a bottle of squeeze glue

Instructions:

We suggest using a paper plate rather than cutting out a large circle so your sun is sturdier. If you would rather cut out a circle, you can!

Start by cutting the outer edge off of the paper plate, leaving just the circle from the middle.

Paint the circle yellow and allow to dry. While the paint dries, trace your child’s hand on a piece of construction paper.

Cut out the handprint and use it as a template to cut out about 10 more handprints from the orange and yellow paper. For younger children, you may need to trace their hand and cut it out for them to glue. Preschoolers and kindergartners can practice tracing their hands. Some may need help cutting since it is trickier to cut than basic shapes.

Note: The amount of handprints you need will depend on the size of your child’s hand. Toddlers may need to use around 10 cut out hands, but preschoolers or older children may need fewer. 

Let the kids glue the handprints to the back of the yellow circle. Allow them to dry.

To complete this activity, ask your child to draw on a smiley face!

Here are a few discussion ideas you can use to make this sun paper plate craft a learning activity:

• Sunrise and sunsets
• If you do yoga, try these energizing sun salutations for kids as well.
• Opposites – day and night
• Time – think sundials!
• Weather – sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc.
• Weather appropriate clothing – shorts when it is hot and sunny
• Plants needing sun to grow
• The solar system
• You can even sing songs, such as You Are My Sunshine while making this handprint sun craft together!

Sneaking in learning through fun activities is the best! This handprint sun paper plate craft helps kids practice their tracing, scissor, and gluing skills. These are all important motor skills for children to develop and they’ll have a blast while doing it!

More kids crafts you may enjoy:

Handprint Chicken Paper Plate Craft

Home Popsicle Stick Craft