Learning Packs and Printable Activities
Creative learning, thoughtfully planned for you.
Hands On Primary creates printable resources that make it easy to explore inspiring topics through art, making, stories, science and hands-on learning.
Designed for children from toddlerhood to the pre-teen years, our resources range from complete themed Learning Packs to smaller printable activities for a particular subject, skill or creative moment.
Created by a qualified primary teacher and Arts specialist, every resource combines meaningful learning with creativity, curiosity and plenty of room for children’s own ideas.
Learning Packs · Art & Design · Literacy · Maths · Science & Nature · Practical Resources
Winter Colour
Winter Colour
Explore the colours of winter through remarkable artworks, artist studies and creative activities.
This 40-page printable art pack introduces children to Finnish artists Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Fanny Churberg, alongside Japanese ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige. Children can look closely at winter landscapes, discover how artists use colour and brushstrokes, and explore how different places, climates and artistic traditions shape the way landscapes are represented.
Beginning with art history and colour vocabulary, the pack gently develops children’s understanding through observation, discussion and practical experimentation. Children will investigate warm and cool colours, mix their own colour wheel, explore cool undertones and create a winter landscape inspired by Gallen-Kallela’s snowy paintings.
Inside this 40-page pack
Three illustrated artist biographies
Large-scale artwork pages for close observation
Guided artwork discussion pages
Child-friendly colour theory and vocabulary
Artist warm-ups exploring brushstrokes, weather and distance
A comparison of Gallen-Kallela’s paintings of Finland and Kenya
Warm and cool colour-mixing activities
A printable colour wheel
Cool-undertone and colour-mood challenges
A guided winter landscape painting activity
Open-ended writing and notebooking pages
A Winter Art Historian certificate
Parent guidance, safety information and artwork references
The activities are designed to provide helpful structure while leaving plenty of room for children’s own ideas and artistic choices. Pages can be completed through drawing, painting, discussion or writing, making the pack flexible for different ages and learning styles.
Perfect for winter art projects, home education, family learning and children who enjoy discovering the stories and ideas behind art.
Age guide: 6–12 years
Format: 40-page printable PDF
You will need: Access to a printer and simple art materials, including paper, paint, paintbrushes, a palette and a water pot.
No art background needed - just curiosity and a willingness to look, experiment and create.
Explore winter through art with artist studies, colour theory and creative painting activities. A 40-page printable Learning Pack for children aged 6–12.
Learning Packs
Explore a theme in depth through art, making, stories, science and hands-on learning. These unit studies bring together creative activities, beautiful printables and meaningful curriculum connections - all thoughtfully planned in one place.
Explore sunflowers, nature and the art of Vincent van Gogh
Bring meaningful art learning to your kitchen table with a beautifully designed, teacher-created complete unit study full of creative activities, art history, observation, play and cross-curricular learning.
The Sunflowers Art & Learning Pack gives you everything you need to explore sunflowers through painting, drawing, printing, collage, fine-motor activities, hands-on Maths and Science investigations, discussion and nature-inspired learning.
Use it for one creative afternoon, follow the activities across several weeks, or return to it throughout the summer.
No art background is needed. Simply choose the activities that suit your child, print what you need and begin.
More than a printable worksheet pack
This pack is curated to genuinely deepen your child’s understanding of art history, develop their art skills and help them connect their love of art with other curriculum subjects such as Reading, Writing, Maths and Science.
Inside the pack, children can:
discover Vincent van Gogh and his famous sunflower paintings;
learn useful art and nature vocabulary;
look closely at artworks and discuss what they notice;
observe real sunflowers, shapes, colours and patterns;
experiment with painting, collage, printing and oil pastels;
develop drawing and fine-motor skills;
explore the fascinating patterns found inside sunflower heads;
complete colouring, writing and notebooking activities;
create original artwork rather than simply copy a model.
The activities offer different levels of support, so younger children can explore through sensory, motor and creative play while older children can develop their techniques, knowledge and independence.
More information can be found below on our Product Page such as recommended resources, details of activities and parent guidance.
Product details
Format: Digital PDF download
Page size: A4
Number of pages: 67
Age range: 3-11
Printing: Print at home or through a local printing service
Delivery: Instant digital download
Physical product: No physical item will be posted
Colours may vary slightly depending on your screen and printer settings.
Begin your sunflower art adventure
Discover Van Gogh, look closely at nature and create beautiful artwork together.
Whether your child paints, prints, draws, collages, writes or simply begins by making their first sunflower marks, the pack gives them space to learn and make something of their own.
DOWNLOAD OUR PACK NOW AND START CREATING>
We plan, so you can be inspired.
Explore the colourful world of Henri Matisse with this creative mini art pack for children.
Across 35 beautifully designed pages, children can discover Matisse and his famous cut-outs through art appreciation, playful maths, creative activities and their own hands-on making.
Designed to encourage children to look, think, experiment and create, without expecting every finished artwork to look the same.
Want it for free? Join the Hands On Primary newsletter and receive the complete Matisse Mini Pack as your welcome gift.
Butterflies Art & Symmetry Learning Pack
Explore butterflies through art, science, nature and creativity
Bring meaningful, hands-on learning to your kitchen table with a beautifully designed, teacher-created downloadable PDF pack full of art, science, observation, making and play.
The Butterflies Art & Learning Pack invites children to discover the fascinating world of butterflies through life cycle activities, symmetry investigations, scientific and observational drawing, painting, collage, artist and naturalist studies, embroidery, appliqué, creative writing, play activities, colouring and more.
Designed for children aged approximately 3–11, activities range from simple creative and sensory experiences for younger children to more detailed art, science and textile projects for older learners.
Use it for one creative afternoon, build a butterfly-themed week, or explore the activities gradually as part of a longer home-learning project.
No art or teaching background is needed. Simply download your PDF, choose the activities that suit your child, print what you need and begin.
Product details
Format: Digital PDF download
Page size: A4
Number of pages: 81
Age range: 3 - 11 (with some activities suitable for younger learners)
Printing: Print at home or through a local printing service
Delivery: Instant digital download
Physical product: No physical item will be posted
Colours may vary slightly depending on your screen and printer settings.
Art and Design
Artist studies, drawing prompts, creative techniques and practical art activities designed to build skills without limiting children’s individuality.
Explore line, texture and expressive mark-making with this printable tree sketching art lesson for children aged 8+.
Beginning with Vincent van Gogh’s Pollard Birches, children will look closely at how artists use energetic lines, hatching and cross-hatching to capture the shapes and textures of trees. They can gather inspiration outdoors, work from their own photographs or use the tree images provided.
Two practical art activities guide children through sketching with a biro or pen before experimenting with ink, water, paintbrushes and sticks. The activities encourage careful observation and creative confidence - without expecting drawings to look neat or perfect.
Inside this 5-page printable resource:
An artwork study featuring Vincent van Gogh
Prompts for observing and photographing trees
A biro and pen sketching activity
An expressive ink drawing activity
Original example drawings and tree photographs
Suitable for: Ages 8+, home education, primary art lessons, art clubs and creative learning at home.
You will need: Paper, a biro or pen, drawing ink, a paintbrush or stick, water and something to protect your work surface.
This is a digital PDF download. No physical product will be posted.
Butterfly Mini Embroidery Pack
Learn to stitch, embroider and create with this hands-on introduction to sewing for children.
Help children discover the joy of sewing with a thoughtfully designed beginner embroidery pack that takes them from their very first stitches to their own finished textile creations.
Children will learn how to thread a needle, tie and finish their thread, and practise three useful embroidery stitches - running stitch, back stitch and cross stitch - with clear, child-friendly visual instructions.
Once they've mastered the basics, they can put their new skills into practice by planning and stitching a butterfly on Binca, experimenting with felt and appliqué, and creating embroidered butterflies for a beautiful hanging mobile.
Inside you'll find:
A child-friendly introduction to sewing vocabulary
Step-by-step guidance for threading and knotting
Running stitch, back stitch and cross stitch instructions
Butterfly symmetry learning
Binca embroidery project and design template
Felt butterfly embroidery and appliqué project
Butterfly mobile project
Printable butterfly templates
A certificate for your budding Butterfly Artist & Explorer!
Designed for children aged 5–12, with adult support recommended for younger children and the core embroidery skills and Binca activities designed for approximately age 7+.
Vincent van Gogh & Sunflowers Mini Art Pack
Explore one of the world’s most famous artists through his iconic sunflower paintings.
Introduce children to Vincent van Gogh and his Sunflowers through a thoughtfully designed mini art study that combines art history, close observation and creative exploration.
Children will discover who Vincent van Gogh was, learn about Post-Impressionism and explore why sunflowers became such an important subject in his work. They'll look closely at real artworks, compare different paintings and begin to notice Van Gogh's use of colour, texture and expressive brushstrokes.
Inside you'll find:
An illustrated introduction to Vincent van Gogh and his artwork
The story behind his famous Sunflowers
Reproductions of famous artworks for children to observe
Look, think and respond activities
Opportunities to compare two of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings
A sunflower art warm-up exploring colour and shape
An introduction to Van Gogh's textured impasto technique
A certificate for your budding art historian!
Rather than simply giving children facts to remember, the activities encourage them to look closely, notice details, form their own ideas and talk or write about art.
Perfect for home education, art lessons, artist studies or families who want to introduce children to great art in an accessible and meaningful way..
Ages 5–11
Digital download – print and explore at your own pace.
This mini pack contains selected activities from our complete Sunflower Art & Nature Creative Learning Pack.
Explore the flowing lines, knots and textures of tree bark through this nature-inspired printable art lesson.
Children begin by looking closely at trees and discovering how Vincent van Gogh transformed trunks and tangled roots into expressive patterns. They can then create their own tree-bark artwork using the simple wax-crayon resist technique.
An optional adult-led hot-wax extension introduces a more advanced version of the process, with clear equipment guidance and safety information.
Inside this printable resource:
Vincent van Gogh artwork study
Questions to encourage close observation
Tree-bark photographs for inspiration
Wax-crayon resist materials and instructions
Visual examples of the creative process
Optional adult-led hot-wax resist extension
Hot-wax equipment, safety guidance and step-by-step instructions
This flexible activity supports observational drawing, mark-making, pattern, texture and experimentation with materials. It can be completed using trees found outdoors or the reference photographs included in the pack.
Ideal for home education, primary art lessons, nature studies, after-school activities and creative learning at home.
You will need: thick paper, wax crayons, water-based ink or diluted watercolour, and a paintbrush.
Please note: The main wax-crayon activity is suitable for children. The hot-wax extension must be prepared and completed alongside an adult using appropriate temperature-controlled equipment.
Digital product: You will receive a printable PDF. No physical item will be posted. Colours may vary slightly depending on your screen and printer.
Literacy
Creative reading and writing resources that introduce fascinating artists, artworks, ideas and stories while developing essential literacy skills.
Reading meets art!
Discover five inspiring artists through accessible reading passages, comprehension questions and creative activities. Designed for children working at approximately Year 1–2 level, this printable pack develops retrieval, inference and vocabulary skills while making space for discussion, imagination and art.
Meet the artists
Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Vincent van Gogh, Alma Thomas and Katsushika Hokusai.
What’s included
Five complete artist studies
Reading passages and illustrated fact files
Challenge words and handwriting practice
Retrieval, inference and vocabulary questions
Optional spoken discussion questions
Five creative art activities
Guidance and answers for parents
Age guide: 5–7 years
UK level: Approximately Year 1–2
Format: 34-page printable PDF
Please note: This is a digital download. No physical product will be posted.
Science and Nature
Explore plants, animals, seasons and natural processes through observation, investigation and creative, hands-on activities.
Butterfly Life Cycle Mini Pack
Explore the fascinating life cycle of a butterfly through science, art and hands-on learning.
Follow a butterfly from tiny egg to hungry caterpillar, chrysalis and beautiful adult butterfly with this thoughtfully designed mini learning pack.
Created by a qualified primary teacher, these activities help children understand, sequence and explore the butterfly life cycle through a mixture of engaging learning activities and creative, hands-on tasks.
Rather than simply memorising the stages, children are encouraged to look closely, make connections and explore how butterflies grow and change.
Inside you’ll find:
Butterfly life cycle learning activities
Sequencing and labelling activities
Opportunities to develop scientific vocabulary
Creative, hands-on activities to reinforce learning
Beautifully designed printable resources and templates
Activities suitable for home education, classrooms and learning together at home
Designed primarily for children aged 5–11, with activities that can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
This mini pack contains the butterfly life cycle section from our larger Butterfly Art & Learning Pack, making it perfect if you would like to explore this topic without purchasing the complete pack.
Digital download. Print at home and learn at your own pace.
We plan, so you can create.
