'Hug-in-a-Card' Birthday Card | Toddler Craft

Grandpa's birthday was coming up and I planned for Mini to create this FUN birthday card for him. The entire process was fun and easy for a toddler to actually participate in it all. At 22 months, their art and craft skills are but limited to scribbling, random stroking and well, just having fun! So this card is all that and more for dear Grandpa! :)

I am personally very fond of baby and toddler hand-print and foot-print art. There is something immensely cute about these itty-bitty prints that melts my heart. So when I saw an idea which had used palm prints in a super cute way to make a card, I jumped at the idea! I incorporated some toddler free-art and stickering into the palm printing idea and here us our beautiful card for Grandpa! :)

Things needed:

Craft Paper - 1 big size

Colours - I used Faber Castell Toddler Grip Crayons

Stickers

Glue

Ribbons

Palm Print Cutouts - 2 

Method

First lets make the palm print cutouts - To make this, just smear some paint of different colours on a plate and get your toddler to place his/her entire palm on it and then place it neatly on a white paper. Do this for both hands. Allow to completely dry and then cut out the palm prints.

• Measure out the ribbon, approximately the length of your toddler with outstretched arms. Basically, to mimic a hug! Tape the end of the ribbon to the backside of the palm print cutouts, one on each cutout.
• Take the craft paper, fold it in half, like a greeting card. Now, on the right side flap of the folded craft paper, make a slit vertically about 2 inches long. This is to allow the ribbon to pass through.
• Now, hold the palm prints right side together in one hand and bring together the folded end of the ribbon, without the ribbon getting tangled. 
• Insert the folded end of the ribbon into the slit of the craft paper. Secure the ribbon from behind (just at the end of the right palm print cutout) with a tape, such that the tape cannot be pulled back inside completely, while still allowing some mobility to the ribbon when the left palm print cutout is tugged at. 
• Pull the ribbon gently all the way back, such that only the palm print cutouts are left on the inside, while the ribbon is on the outside (through the slit) of the folded craft paper.
• Your basic greeting card is ready, now for some decoration! Stick on the stickers. I used foam hearts, so used glue to stick them on. The Mini helped me with this.

• Then I write a very simple Happy Birthday Message and let my boy get creative and colour his heart out, on the inner left side of the card. 

• That's it, we are done! The ribbon can be brought over to the front of the card and tied into a little bow! So, when the card is opened and the left cutout is gently tugged at, the ribbon is released all the way till the place where you have secured with a tape.

An utterly butterly cute hug-in-a-card is ready for Grandpa! :)