The Kissing Hand Back to School Craft #Back2School

Sending your child to school is bittersweet.  They are growing into beautiful people and constantly changing while at the same time they are no longer your little baby.  Sending preschoolers and kindergarteners off for their big day is even more heart wrenching.  If you are like me you spent a lot of time reading “First Day of School” books to your kiddo and maybe even did some Back to School crafts.  One MUST READ book is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  Honestly, I forgot this book was on our shelf until Little Sister came home from her first day of Kindergarten with some printables from the story.  We pulled the book from the shelf and created The Kissing Hand craft below.

Why read this story?  The Kissing Hand is perfect for children who face difficult situations (such as separation from parents when going to school) and need to be reassured.  Mother Raccoon kisses her son Chester Raccoon’s hand smack dab in the middle and ”Chester felt his mother’s kiss rush from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart.” Whenever he feels lonely (at school, falling asleep, or anywhere), all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmth of his mother’s kiss. Before making the walk to his classroom Chester gives his mom a Kissing Hand too.  Isn’t that so sweet?

The girls and I headed to find our craft supplies (we are still unpacking from our move) and we made our very own Kissing Hands.  To make this craft all you need is paper, a pencil, and scissors.  We traced our hands, cut them out, glued them to a piece of construction paper (optional), and glued a heart to the middle.  I made one for each of my girls.  Little Sister tucked my kissing hand into her binder while Big Sister (First Grade) took hers to her bedroom.  I plan on framing their Kissing Hands and keeping them forever.  Except, we will need to repeat this project with scrapbooking paper that doesn’t fade over time.  Construction paper is a great crafting medium, but it fades so quickly.  I want to keep my girls kissing hands forever…and ever!  Of course….you don’t need to do the craft for The Kissing Hand’s message to be easy to remember.  All it takes is a kiss each morning.

Here are a few of the Back to School/Kindergarten books we read to prepare for the 2013-2014 School Year

• First Day Jitters 
• Franklin Goes To School
• Curious George’s First Day of School
• The Berenstain Bears Go to School
• The Night Before Kindergarten
• The Night Before First Grade

We LOVE crafting at our house!  Check out these School Themed Crafts that we have completed over the years.

Lights Camera Action: Creatively Wrapped Movie Ticket Gift Idea
Graduation Cap Tutorial: Perfect for Preschool and Kindergarten
Apple Jokes for Kids – Perfect for Johnny Appleseed Day
Blast Into a New School Year with a Milky Way Rocket Craft – Free Download!
Crafty Tuesday: Teacher Thank You Collage
Recycle Empty Glue Containers with Elmer’s Glue Crew #bagitforward

Do you have a Back to School Craft or Tradition?  We would love to hear all about it!

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