It’s the month of love! From hugs, kisses, chocolates, and more, we are kicking off all the LOVE things — including Valentine’s Day crafts to share with your little one!
Aside from class parties and valentines, here are some easy-to-create crafts you could add to the mix! Grab a few supplies and share the love with your little one.
7 Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids
1. Watercolor Hearts
What You’ll Need:
- coffee filters
- scissors
- watercolor markers
- Dot markers (optional) (we prefer these because of the variety)
- spray bottle with a little water in it
- Pan-lined with parchment paper or any dry surface for the watercolor art
We love making and gifting watercolor hearts! This craft is so fun because no two designs are the same. Start by grabbing your coffee filter(s) and help your kiddo cut out hearts. The easiest way to do this is by folding your filter in half and cutting a heart similar to cutting paper snowflakes.
Once your heart is cut, have your child decorate their heart using watercolor markers or dot markers. We love using dot markers because you can also get them in vibrant, bright colors and ones with glitter . . . and we LOVE glitter! There is no right way to decorate. Use all the colors as much as you like.
Next, lightly spray the filter with water using your spray bottle and watch the colors melt into one another creating a watercolor effect. Air dry on the parchment paper or other dry surface fully, and then you can display your watercolor hearts!
2. Skittles Candy Heart
What You’ll Need:
- Skittles (any color)
- plate with a dipped center
- warm water
This craft is fun with a sweet treat twist! Have your little one create the shape of a heart on a plate with a center that dips in the middle. This allows the water to stay in the center of the heart. Slowly help your child pour the warm water into the inside of the heart and watch the array of colors soar. Be careful not to pour water outside of the heart. This is a great STEM activity for focus and patience. You can snack on a skittle or two along the way. Yum!
3. Paper Bouquet
What You’ll Need:
- construction paper
- craft popsicle sticks
- glue
- foam stickers (optional)
A bouquet made with love and little hearts in mind. Help your kiddo cut strips of construction paper approximately one inch wide. Each flower needs two strips for the heart shape. Also, cut out green leaves from construction paper or use craft stickers.
First, glue one strip of paper into a loop, and then glue the second loop to create a floral heart. Glue the flower to your popsicle stick and decorate with your cut-out leaves or stickers! Air dry before gifting or sharing them.
4. Q-Tip Heart Painting
What You’ll Need:
- construction paper
- Q-Tips
- craft paint
Cut out a heart from your construction paper. If you are like me, I find the easiest way to cut a heart is by folding the paper in half and cutting it. Grab some paint and Q-Tips, and let your kiddo paint with them. Be sure to always supervise paint projects so none gets in the mouth. Messy hands always make the heart full!
5. Dancing Hearts
What You’ll Need:
- a deep glass dish
- dry erase markers (bright and bold work best)
- room temperature water
- a straw
Want to WOW your little one with dancing hearts?! Then I have a fun craft for you. My kiddo loves watching hearts dance. You first want to draw hearts in the bottom of your glass dish. I have found clear glass dishes like Pyrex have worked the best for this trick. Don’t worry, this doesn’t ruin your dish! Use the brightest and boldest dry-erase markers you can find. Draw them all over the bottom of your dish. And you ready for magic?
Slowly pour room-temperature water into your dish and watch your hearts begin to jiggle. Don’t pour too fast or your hearts will lose their shape. Once your hearts have “lifted” let your little one use the straw to blow around the hearts and give them a slow dance. And when you’re all done simply rinse and wash your glass dish, good as new. This can be done over and over for endless play.
6. Valentine Slime
What You’ll Need:
- a 6 oz jar of glitter glue (any color)
- Elmers magical liquid
- 1/2 Tablespoon baking soda (optional)
- 1 1/2 saline contact solution (optional)
Prepare for messy fun! When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of glitter and pink — lots of both. This craft can be done in two ways. Short on time? Use magical liquid. Want to make it yourself like a mad scientist? Then use baking soda and contact solution.
I mix this slime in a dish I do not care about because this is going to be lots of messy play! I mix the slime myself as it is not edible, and I always supervise the slime play.
1. Quick and Easy Route:
Start by emptying your entire bottle of glitter glue in your bowl. Take 2 teaspoons of magical liquid and mix it into your glue. Slowly add 1 teaspoon at a time until your slime gets the right consistency. Knead it until it forms a “dough” similar to playdough, but remember it’s slime and at times can be oozy!
2. Mad Scientist Route:
If you opt for the baking soda and contact solution route, add your baking soda to the glue first and mix really well. Then add your contact solution and mix until it is not sticky anymore (usually a few minutes). Add some fun resin objects for sensory play.
7. Marbled Painting
What You’ll Need:
- a blank canvas
- shave foam (not gel)
- watercolor paint or diluted food coloring
- shallow dish or pan
- stick to mix paint colors
- painter’s tape
This craft is messy and fun. Fill your pan with cheap shaving foam. (Gel doesn’t seem to have the right consistency, so we always opt for foam.) Take watercolor paint, or you can dilute food coloring with a little water mixed in, and drop paint drops into your pan of foam. Swirl your colors with a stick to create your marble effect.
You can grab a cheap canvas for just a few bucks at your local dollar store. Take the painter’s tape and tape a heart shape onto your canvas before dipping it in your marbled foam. Help your little one press the canvas onto the marbled foam. Dip a few times and create an array of marbled textures. Then scrape off the excess foam and air dry your canvas. Once dry, remove the painter’s tape to reveal their marbled heart painting!
