Dust for fingerprints

What can I use instead of fingerprint powder, a soft brush, or a small dish if those are hard to find?

Use a tiny pinch of cocoa powder or cornstarch as the dusting powder, a soft paintbrush or clean makeup brush instead of the soft brush, and a bottle cap or clean yogurt lid as the small dish, then follow steps 3–5 when picking up and tapping the powder.

Why won’t a fingerprint appear or why does it smear when I lift the tape, and how can I fix it?

If no print appears, choose a smoother non-porous object like the glass spoon from step 2, brush much more gently in light strokes per step 5 and tap excess powder on the dish rim per step 4, then lift the tape straight up in step 7 to avoid smearing.

How can this activity be changed for younger children or made more challenging for older kids?

For younger children, have an adult handle the powder and the tape and let them press the powdered fingertip onto paper per steps 11–12, while older kids can use finer graphite or specialty fingerprint powder, photograph the lifted print, and analyze loops and whorls with the magnifying glass in step 13 before sharing on DIY.org.

What are some fun ways to extend or personalize the fingerprint activity after making the lifts?

Create a personalized fingerprint ID card by sticking the lifted tape to a labeled white paper card from step 8, compare and label ridge patterns with the magnifying glass in step 13, add colored backgrounds or laminate the card, and then photograph it to share on DIY.org per step 14.