Recently, I created a delightful handprint monkey craft that brought a smile to my face and my little ones’ faces.
With just a few simple materials and some easy steps, I managed to create a charming monkey hanging from a bamboo stick, looking like it’s grasping a pole or tree branch with ease.
Before we begin with the core steps let me quickly share the list of basic craft materials you’ll need in step 1 below.
Step 1: Materials You’ll Need For Handprint Monkey Craft
- Colorful Craft Papers: You will need colorful craft paper sheets to make the handprint Monkey structure (I have used shades of dark and light brown for its body)
- Bamboo Stick: I have used a bamboo stick to resemble a pole or a tree branch where the monkey is hanging upside down. You can use something similar or simply draw one using a marker.
- Scissor: To cut the shapes of the Handprint Monkey’s structure you will need a scissor.
- Glue: To stick the handprint Monkey cutouts while assembling the shapes you will need glue (A regular glue or a multipurpose glue should be fine).
- Marker: I have used a black marker pen to draw the curving mouth.
- Handprint Monkey Template: I have designed a ready template which includes the handprint and the required shapes of the Monkey (You can access the same in the below step).
Estimated Time Taken to Craft the Handprint Monkey: It took 8 minutes to craft the Handprint Monkey using the ready template from our website. However, the time will increase if you plan to manually cut the shapes using colorful craft papers.
Step 2: Handprint Monkey Template
To skip the hassle of gathering craft papers in different shades for the handprint Monkey just use our ready-made template.
With a few clicks, you can download and print multiple copies from our website.
Then, simply cut and assemble the handprint Monkey structure with ease.
Step 3: Cutting The Monkey Shapes
If you prefer not to use the ready-made handprint Monkey template from our website, simply gather some colorful craft papers in Monkey-like shades (brown works perfectly).
Trace your or your child’s handprints onto the paper, then carefully cut them out with scissors.
Next, cut out the tail and head shapes by following the instructions on my blog.
For the eyes of our cute monkey, consider adding some fun with googly or wiggle eyes.
Step 4: Preparing The Monkey’s Face
With the shapes ready it’s time to assemble them together to form the handprint Monkey structure.
I started by assembling the Monkey’s facial details, carefully preparing its face.
And then, I aligned and glued the eye shapes, making sure to leave enough space for the mouth structure below.
Next up, I attached the mouth shape underneath the eyes, and it looked perfect to me.
With all the features in place, I have successfully created the Monkey’s facial structure.
Step 5: Fixing The Head & Tail
With the facial details in place, I moved on to assemble the Monkey’s body.
I started by using the handprint shape as the base of the structure.
Next, I glued the facial structure over the thumb of the handprint, just as shown in image 5.1.
I then aligned the tail to the opposite side and secured it with glue.
The result was a perfect Monkey’s structure, hanging upside down and looking adorable.
Step 6: Hang It To The Stick
Finally, I hung the monkey from the bamboo stick, positioning it upside down or sideways for a playful effect.
I had painted the bamboo stick a dark green color and carefully aligned it around the fingertips, which represented the monkey’s hands and legs, as shown in image 6.1.
Next, I gently rolled the fingertips around the bamboo stick and secured them in place with glue, as illustrated in image 6.2.
The end result was a convincing and charming scene, where the handprint Monkey appeared to be holding a pole or tree branch with its full strength and natural grip, as seen in the final image.
Watch the complete video walkthrough of this paper handprint monkey craft here.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, this handprint Monkey craft is a perfect blend of creativity and learning, offering children a tactile experience while developing their fine motor skills.
Since it incorporates elements of nature, like the bamboo stick, it can spark conversations about monkey habitats and behaviors.
I recommend expanding this concept to create a whole jungle scene, perhaps adding handprint elephants or lions.
This could evolve into a collaborative classroom project, fostering teamwork and imagination.
Note: I have also shared the complete video tutorial of the handprint Monkey craft on our official YouTube channel as well.
