Four DIY Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show others you care with acts of kindness or small tokens of appreciation. For children, making their own valentines, holiday decorations, or cute gifts can help them express their creativity and fine-tune their motor skills. These craft ideas can also teach kids that it’s fun to make gifts for others. Create a memorable Valentine’s Day for kids with one of our fun activities below.

Paper heart garlands
Planning a sweet Valentine’s Day evening at home for your partner? Get the kiddos to help you decorate with these easy 3D paper heart garlands! They’re great for teaching little ones fine motor skills with just a few materials.

Materials You’ll Need:
● Red construction paper sheets, or other colors if you prefer
● Cardstock
● Yarn or thread
● Glue stick
● Scissors
● Pencil

How to make: Draw half a heart shape on the cardstock and cut it out to use as a template. Fold your red construction paper in half. Place the template along the fold and use it to outline the half heart shape. You’ll need four paper hearts to make one 3D heart on your garland. Cut the hearts out.

Then, cut your yarn or string to your desired length of garland. Glue one end of yarn or string along the fold of one of your hearts. Glue another heart on top of that heart by nestling it along the fold. Repeat with the remaining hearts to create one 3D heart.

Ta-da! You now have a 3D paper heart hanging from yarn or string as a decoration. You can add more 3D hearts to each yarn or string, or create separate garlands with one heart each.

Yarn-wrapped hearts
If you’re looking for more easy Valentine’s Day decorations to make with your child, look no further. These yarn-wrapped hearts are incredibly easy and produce adorable hearts that make wonderful decorations, or 3D valentines.

Materials You’ll Need:
● Yarn in red, pink, white, or any colors you prefer
● Spare cardboard
● Scissors
● Tape or glue
● Pencil

How to make: Draw a heart shape on your cardboard piece. Cut the heart shape out. Using a thin yet sturdy piece of cardboard will make this a little easier.

Then, wind your yarn around the heart once and tie a knot. Secure the loose end of yarn with a piece of tape or some glue. Continue wrapping the yarn around the heart until the cardboard is completely covered. If you like, you can tie an extra piece of yarn around your completed heart to serve as a loop for hanging.

“Love” fingerprint painting
For a fun and slightly messier Valentine’s Day craft idea, try making a fingerprint painting. This hands-on craft really lets kids flex their creative skills. It also makes a sweet gift for a loved one, friend or parent.

Materials You’ll Need:
● Water-based paints in your colors of choice
● Canvas or construction paper
● Cardboard
● Tape
● Scissors
● Pencil

How to make: First, write the letters for “love” onto a piece of cardboard. Cut the letters out and tape them to your canvas or construction paper. Make sure the edges are taped down well. This will leave the base white, letting your child paint the rest.

Then, pour out a little paint of each color onto a spare paper plate or bowl, and let your child get creative! Dip fingers in each of the paint colors and stamp them all over the canvas or construction paper. When the paint is completely dry, carefully peel off the cardboard letters.

Love bug valentines
Level up your craft game by making 3D “love bug” valentines for your child to hand out to friends at school! These love bugs made of pom-poms and hearts are oh-so-cute and easy to make.

Materials You’ll Need:
● Pom-poms
● Pipe cleaners
● Googly eyes
● Felt
● Scissors
● Hot glue gun and hot glue

How to make: For each love bug, you’ll need to cut out a big heart for its feet, and two smaller hearts for its antenna. Use your pom-poms as a guide for the hearts. Also, cut out a pair of antenna from the pipe cleaners. If your child is old enough to use safety scissors, they can help with this part of the craft while you handle the hot glue gun in the next few steps.

Then, assemble each love bug using your hot glue gun. Glue the pom-pom onto the large heart base. Glue the two small hearts to the ends of the pipe cleaner antennae. Glue the antennae onto the top of the pom-pom. Finally, glue the googly eyes onto the front of the pom-pom. Now you have a sweet little love bug valentine!

Bonus: if you like, you can swap the felt “feet” for pre-cut foam hearts or construction paper. With construction paper, your kiddo can write a nice Valentine’s Day message for the recipient.

Creativity and care at Stratford School

Creativity and care are just a few of the values we uphold at Stratford School. Through a culture of warmth, connectivity, and curiosity, our students learn to be good community members and extraordinary learners. Learn more about Stratford School’s philosophy today!