What’s a Fingerprint? Did you know that even before you were born you had tiny fingerprints or lines on the tips of your fingers? Nobody else in the world has exactly the same fingerprints on their fingers. In some cases, fingerprints have been used to find lost children or to catch a criminal who left a mark from their fingers at the time of a crime. You can’t always see your fingerprints but police and other experts have special equipment that helps fingerprints show up even when they were invisible before. When you were a baby, your fingers were a little small, so the hospital you were born at took your footprint instead. Even twins who look exactly alike have different fingerprints. Let’s make a fingerprint page of your own fingerprints. An adult can save the page in case you ever get lost. Baby footprint An ink pad A magnifying glass A piece of paper A pen Put your name on the piece of paper. Start with your left hand. Touch the tips of each finger to the pad of ink and have an adult carefully place each finger on the paper so that your finger prints line up in a row. Do the right hand in the same way, doing one finger at a time. Use a magnifying glass to see the fingerprints up close.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your fingerprints show up on the paper when you use the ink. Look at the different patterns and shapes you see. By looking at the patterns and shapes, experts can tell what type of fingerprint you have. Fingerprints are also called “friction ridges” and are on your fingers so you can grab things easier. Fingerprints make your fingertip rough. Your fingerprint can last for many years if you touch something that isn’t cleaned off after you touch it. The different shapes of the fingerprint are called the whorl, the arch, the tented arch and the loop. It’s a good idea to save a copy of your child’s fingerprint in case something should happen to them. The different shapes and patterns in fingerprints are shown so you can help your child decide what pattern he or she has on a finger. More Kids Science Projects