Is your fingerprint similar or different?
This is an easy activity to talk with your child about their own identity and that they have fingerprints special to just them! Start with a book if possible. Then, simply grab some paper and an ink pad and have your child make prints with all ten fingers. Finally, with a magnifying glass check them out in more detail and try to find a pattern.
📚 Books to explore: Fingerprint - What Makes me Unique: Biology for Kids by Baby Professor; Officer Panda: Fingerprint Detective by Ashley Crowley; and Fingerprint Fun by Jorge Martin.
🧼 Messy Alert! This activity can get very messy so have soap readying for hand washing!
🔢 Count your findings. Have your child count their fingers and identify which print is from which finger.
Materials
For this activity you will need:
White paper
Watered Down paint OR Inkpad
Magnifying glass
Learning Outcomes
Domain
Emotional
Skills
Self-concept
Indicators:
Talking about their personal characteristics.
Instructions
Step 1:
Water down a little bit of paint. Not too much or it will run OR Have your child press one finger in the inkpad
Step 2:
Gently roll the finger on a blank piece of paper.
Step 3:
Repeat until you have done all ten fingers.
Step 4:
Under a magnifying glass, look at the prints and talk about their patterns.
Step 5:
Do your own fingerprints for comparison (optional).
✨ Pro Tip: If the ink is coming out runny then use a scrap piece of paper to take off the excess ink.
⬆️ For older preschoolers: Have them get more in-depth with this activity by comparing their fingerprints to other people’s prints.
⬇️ For younger toddlers: Let your child explore the fingerprint and then have them draw around it to make it into a bug or flower.
Playful Questions
What is similar about your fingerprints and mine?
What is different?
Do you see a pattern in the fingerprints?
Which finger is this fingerprint from?
How many lines do you see in this fingerprint?
