About Us

Portrait of a young woman, the founder of Hands on Primary, sitting in front of the sea smiling at the camera.

Hands On Primary was created by Fabienne, a qualified primary teacher, arts specialist and mum, with a belief that some of the richest learning happens through making, exploring and creating together.

We bring art, play and the wider curriculum together in beautiful, thoughtfully planned resources for real family life. Because learning can be playful, hands-on and curious and you deserve resources that make it easier to give your child a creative education.

Who We Are

  • Our packs are designed for children from toddlerhood to the pre-teen years.

    They are perfect for families, home education groups, childminders, after-school clubs, and anyone looking to nurture curiosity through creative learning.

  • Every learning pack is built around five key areas that encourage children to learn, think, create and explore in meaningful ways.

    Discover

    Learn through artist biographies, famous artworks, fact files, vocabulary sheets, reading activities, creative techniques and parent guidance. We believe knowledge inspires creativity.

    Explore

    Look closely at artworks with discussion prompts, compare artists and styles, observe nature, investigate colour and shape, and carry out simple experiments. We believe curiosity grows when children have time to explore and think deeply.

    Create

    Create through hands-on activities, printables and larger creative projects including painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, sewing, printmaking and crafts. We believe children learn best by making.

    Play

    Enjoy the creative process through playdough, loose parts, small worlds, sensory play, games and open-ended invitations to create. We believe play is one of the richest ways to learn at any age.

    Connect

    Make meaningful links between art and subjects such as maths, science, history, geography, reading, writing and philosophy. We believe every subject has something to say about art, and every artwork has something to say about the world.

  • We believe art is for everyone, at any time. You don't need a studio, expensive materials or a background in art to create something meaningful. We want our learning packs to bring rich arts education to families around the kitchen table, at weekends and in the small moments in between. Because creativity belongs in everyday life, every family deserves the opportunity to create, and every child deserves the confidence to make their mark.

Explore our Learning Packs and Printable Resources

What is in our learning packs ?

An information page about Vincent van Gogh including quotes and images of artworks such as Starry Night and Almond Blossoms.
A vocabulary page with visuals and language describing a sunflower and art terms such as brushstroke and impasto.
A template of a sunflower with white circles on, created for a finger painting activity.
A drawing page with step by step instructions to draw a sunflower using colouring pencils.
An image of Van Gogh's Sunflower Painting
An information page detailing how a family could set up a sunflower still life. It includes an image of a kitchen table with a vase of sunflowers in the middle and four canvases set up with art supplies.

Each Hands On Primary pack is designed to help families learn, create and explore together. Inside you'll find 30-80 pages of:

  • Parent guidance, resource lists and activity plans

  • Discussion prompts to encourage observation and critical thinking

  • Child-friendly vocabulary and knowledge sheets

  • Artist biographies, artwork studies and art appreciation activities

  • Cross-curricular links to subjects such as history, science, literacy and maths

  • Creative warm-ups to build skills and confidence

  • Printable worksheets and templates

  • Open ended art activities

  • Hands-on art and design projects using a range of media, including drawing, painting, collage, textiles and 3D construction

  • Colouring pages and extension activities

Everything is designed to be practical, engaging and easy to use at home.

It started as a simple cardboard fish craft. Do you think your child would respond well to a theme and the visual storytelling that can come with it? Or do you think a theme creates an unnecessary structure around a lovely open-ended art activity.
Hands On Primary is finally out in the world - not just in my head 🩷 I think this is what you call a soft launch, but the most exciting thing is that real people are seeing, downloading and using the designs I've been working so hard to create. A

Discover, Explore, Create, Play and Connect…

Explore our Learning Packs