I love Valentine’s Day! It is such a fun time for the kids to share love and enjoy their friendships. There are so many fun crafts that kids can do for this holiday that it is almost impossible to choose one. However I have run across some on Pinterest and other online places that I have absolutely fallen in love with and plan on doing with my kiddos this year. Here are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day craft activities:
- Melted Crayon Hearts – This creative activity combines two things I love. Avoiding sugar and recycling things! My kids and I always have lots of broken crayons left over. About once a year we try to clean up the craft room and throw out the old junk like leftover glitter, dried up glue sticks and broken crayons. However this year I kept the broken crayons for a purpose. We removed all the leftover paper bits and purchased one of those cute silicon baking trays from the store that are shaped like hearts. We placed several broken Crayon bits into each section and then baked it on 375 for a few minutes until the wax melted. Then before it cooled all the way I slipped in a piece of yarn (or you could use curling paper or string) and made sure it was in the wax. When the wax dried we attached little notes to the string, like “You color my world” or “You make the world a brighter place”. The kids will have fun coloring with the rainbow hearts and it is a great way to avoid more candy on Valentine’s Day!
- Kiss Diamond Rings – This is a super easy craft for any kid. All you need is some silver Hershey’s Kisses and some pipe cleaners. Wrap the Kiss bottoms up in the pipe cleaner like you would set a diamond in a ring. Then twist in the center and form a ring shape on the other end. Kids can wear and then eat their creations and have a blast doing it!
- Heart and Button Bracelet – This is another easy and fun craft. All you need for this one is some curling ribbon, construction paper or thin foam, and a few buttons. Have the kids cut the paper into a heart shape. Then glue on the curling ribbon so the heart is made into a bracelet. Place buttons over the ends of the ribbon or just randomly on the heart for a cute accent. Kids can put their name or draw a picture on the heart for extra fun. I am a sucker for any craft with buttons!
- Lollipop and Photo Cards – This is a great give away gift for friends and relatives that requires a little preparation. Take a photo of your child with their fist close to the camera and a smile on their face. Then print out the photos and punch a small hole in the center of their fist. Have your child slip the stick of a lollipop through the hole and it will look like they are handing out the treat! Add a cute caption or have the child write a note on the back for a fun treat everyone will enjoy.
- Heart Attack Box – This is a great way to help kids to think about others and really give a personal gift. A heart attack box is a small box filled with paper hearts. These hearts can be as big or as small as you would like, but the point is to write something nice or good about the person you are giving it to on every heart. Small children can draw pictures. This would be a great Valentine’s Day gift for a grandparent or even for Dad. The children have to really think about things that make them love the other person. Some things might be “takes me swimming”, “shares ice cream”, “plays with me”, and “gives me hugs”.
- Valentine Mail Box – This classic craft is one I remember from my school days. We used to take any small box and make it into a mail box. That way when all the kids handed out the Valentine cards we had a place to keep them! I do this one with cereal boxes or shoe boxes with my kids and we have a blast decorating the boxes with stickers and hearts. Then we fill it with things we love and take the time to explain why we love each thing. It is sort of a Thanksgiving meets Valentine’s Day tradition.
- Book Marks – Making a Valentine’s Day bookmark is as easy as a trip to your local hardware store. All those paint samples are just lying around. Ask your local store if you can take a few (or just do). Try to pick shades of pink or red for the best effect. Then have the kids punch holes in each color with a heart shaped hole punch. Save the hearts for confetti in some cards later, but for now have the kids thread a piece of matching colored yarn through the top heart hole. Voila, you have an instantly beautiful book mark for them to give away to friends and family that cost you nothing!
- Heart Stamping – Kids love to stamp. An easy and cheap way to make a heart stamp is to take an empty toilet paper roll and crease it lengthwise so it forms a heart shape at the ends. Tape it in that shape with a piece of scotch tape and then give it to your kids along with some thinned out red or pink paint or an ink pad. Have them stamp hearts all over the paper or cut out a heart and then stamp it. Even the smallest kids can make a beautiful creation to decorate for Valentine’s Day.
- Glitter Hearts – Another thing that kids love is glitter. For an easy and fun treat, have them cut out a heart shape. Then have them decorate it with glue and sprinkle on the pink and red glitter. They will have a blast and it might get messy, but it will be pretty too.
- Stained Glass Hearts – Another simple craft is one that will get little hands dirty. Have the kids cut out a heart from a thin piece of white paper, like printer paper. Then give them red or pink finger paints that are a little watered down or thinned out. They can draw patterns or just color the whole heart. Let it dry and hang it up in the window for the sun to shine through. Accessorize with ribbon or glitter for extra fun.
These are just a few ideas for fun crafts that you can do with your children this Valentine’s Day. Remember that the day is all about love and friends and family, so keep it fun and help kids to appreciate others and not just what they will get. These crafts are easy to do and inexpensive, so try one today with your children!
Author Bio:
Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare. They take care of all the necessary information related to “www.babysittingjobs.com”. He personally think his blog will help finding information on all things related to a babysitter.
