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Valentine’s Day is probably the craftiest of holidays, but you may be in need of some fresh ideas outside of cutting out paper hearts. Never fear! These Valentine’s Day crafts for kids are adorable, and — most importantly — easy to do.
For some of the crafts below, we spoke to artist Kelly Lynn Jones, owner of the San Francisco art shop Little Paper Planes (which has since closed), to get her tips for kid-friendly Valentine’s Day DIYs. (Other crafts here came to us by the secret magic of the internet.)
So check out these quick, cheap and easy ideas and then start working on some sweet projects with your littles. And bonus: When you’re done crafting, voilà — instant Valentine’s Day decor.
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Fingerprint hearts
Subscription toy company KiwiCo shared this idea, which is just messy enough for kids to get really into it, and personal enough that it will make an excellent gift for grandparents. All you need is a washable ink pad, scissors, glue, and two sheets of paper — card stock if you want to make this feel like a lasting treasure.
Read the full instructions on KiwiCo, (and while you’re at it, check out all their subscription options for everyday arts and STEM activities). And if you need to stock up on supplies, here are some links to help out.
Valentine's Card Stock
$24.50
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Elmer's Glue Stick 3-pack
$3.19$6.9954% Off
on Amazon.com
Fiskar Scissors
$4.35$5.7524% Off
on Amazon.com
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Ink Pads for Kids
$8.08$10.9826% Off
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Image: Reality Daydream.
Beginner string art
Blog Reality Daydream has a simple tutorial for this elegant heart-shaped project. “This piece is really sweet and good for older children, so they can learn hammering nails,” Jones told SheKnows. Just make sure to supervise them.
Start with a piece of wood — 4 inches-by-4 inches is perfect. Then draw a heart on paper, place it over the wood and hammer nails in to form the outline. (A mini hammer is perfect for this if you have one.) Then remove the paper, and kids can start wrapping any color of string they like around the nails, creating a heart. Perfect.
Embroidery Floss
$5.99$6.498% Off
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Image: Krokotak.
Heart-hand tree
Use an outline of your child’s hand to make a tree using this tutorial from the craft blog Krokotak. “I love this so much… for the younger kiddos,” says Jones. “Using their hands is always a great way to create a project, and this is a clever craft. Who doesn’t love a heart tree?” Once they have the cardboard tree trunk shape, kids can fill out the tree with construction paper hearts and leaves and even “carve” (write) a message on the trunk.
Prang Construction Paper
$13.51$17.9925% Off
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Construction paper critters
This Valentine’s-themed critter craft “is also a great moment [for kids] to learn about a variety of animals,” Jones explains. Let kids choose their own creatures; check out instructions from blog Crafty Morning for specific shapes and parts to cut from construction paper. Glue them together, add some googly eyes and voila: adorable valentine.
1000 Googly Eyes
$6.99$14.9953% Off
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Image: The Resourceful Mama.
Upcycled bee
Speaking of adorable valentine critters, this fun little bee craft from The Resourceful Mama is not only cute; it’s eco-friendly too. Kiddos can turn a used toilet paper tube into this creative creature. “Perfect for all ages,” says Jones.
Gather some paint, construction paper, pipe cleaners and a toilet paper roll. Paint the roll yellow, and while you’re waiting for it to dry, cut out various bee parts from the paper. Then glue or tape it all together to craft your colorful bee. Don’t forget to write, “Bee mine” — that’s the whole point, right?
Black Pipe Cleaners
$6.00
on Amazon.com
Buy now
Image: The Resourceful Mama for Crafty Morning.
Valentine carryall
This inventive Valentine’s craft is presented by The Resourceful Mama for Crafty Morning. Jones likes this project because there are so many ways to personalize it. “This heart purse… can be made in so many ways,” she says. “The child can paint the paper, add glitter, put their name on it, add more hearts in a variety of colors, braid the yarn — to name a few.”
Start with paper plates (cut the tops off straight across) and have your child punch holes along the plates’ edges. Then have them thread yarn through the holes. Create a strap with a piece of yarn (Jones suggests braided sections). Then start decorating. Use stickers, cutouts or anything else your little one desires. In the end, kids will have the perfect place to stash their classroom valentines.
Bernat Red Cotton Yarn
$8.13
on Amazon.com
Buy now
A version of this article was originally published in January 2018.
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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I am an expert and enthusiast based assistant. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide assistance on various topics. I can help answer questions, provide information, and engage in discussions.
Regarding the concepts mentioned in this article, here is some information related to each one:
Fingerprint hearts:
- Fingerprint hearts are a craft idea for Valentine's Day that involves using washable ink pads, scissors, glue, and paper to create heart-shaped designs using fingerprints.
- This craft can be a personalized and sentimental gift, especially for grandparents.
- You can find detailed instructions for creating fingerprint hearts on the KiwiCo website.
Beginner string art:
- Beginner string art is a craft project that involves hammering nails into a piece of wood in the shape of a heart and then wrapping string around the nails to create a heart-shaped design.
- This project is suitable for older children and can help them learn basic hammering skills.
- You can find a simple tutorial for beginner string art on the Reality Daydream blog.
Heart-hand tree:
- The heart-hand tree craft involves using an outline of a child's hand to create a tree shape and then decorating it with construction paper hearts and leaves.
- This craft is suitable for younger children and provides an opportunity for them to create a personalized project.
- You can find a tutorial for making a heart-hand tree on the Krokotak craft blog .
Construction paper critters:
- Construction paper critters are Valentine's-themed crafts that involve cutting out shapes from construction paper and gluing them together to create adorable creatures.
- This craft can also be a learning opportunity for children to explore different animals.
- You can find instructions for making construction paper critters on the Crafty Morning blog.
Upcycled bee:
- The upcycled bee craft is a fun and eco-friendly project that involves turning a used toilet paper tube into a colorful bee.
- This craft is suitable for all ages and provides an opportunity to repurpose materials.
- You can find instructions for making an upcycled bee on The Resourceful Mama blog.
Valentine carryall:
- The Valentine carryall craft involves using paper plates, yarn, and decorations to create a heart-shaped purse for storing valentines.
- This craft allows for personalization and creativity, as children can decorate the purse in various ways.
- You can find instructions for making a Valentine carryall on The Resourceful Mama blog.
I hope this information helps! Let me know if you have any further questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with.
Note: The information provided above is based on the concepts mentioned in this article.
