5 Paper Valentines Day Crafts for Kids

Embossed Valentine's Day Card
This embossing method requires no heat, but the effect is quite elegant and any child who can trace can pull it off beautifully.

You Will Need:
Blank Cardstock or construction paper folded card form
1 piece of white vellum
1 piece of craft foam
1 stylus or chop stick
1 simple image you like for the front of your card

Have the child write his message inside of the card. Set it aside, leaving the cover blank.

If your image is not already on your computer, scan it so you have a digital file. You can use clip art, a coloring page or let the child draw something. Make sure it is a simple image with simple lines and resize it, if necessary, so that it will be smaller than the front of your card.

Use photo editing software to flip the image horizontally, so that you get a "mirror image" of your original image. Even the lettering should be backwards.

Print out the image. If you are doing this craft with a group of children, print out an assortment of images for them to choose from.

Cut or tear a piece of vellum so that it is slightly smaller than the front cover of the card. Place the image on top of a piece of craft foam, and place the piece of vellum on top of the image. Because vellum is translucent, you will be able to see the image lines right through it.

Let children trace the image lightly with a stylus or the tip of a chopstick. Warn them to be careful not to press to hard so they don't tear the paper. When all of the lines are traced over, pick up the vellum and turn it over. You will see an embossed version of the image, this time with lettering and all facing the right way.

Affix the vellum to the front of the card. You can do this with glue dots, page fasteners, brads, snaps, or punch a couple of holes through the vellum and card cover and thread ribbon through it to hold.

Radiant Heart Decoration
This shining heart is pretty for display in a classroom or at home. Demonstrate the technique for the child just once and she will run with it.

You Will Need:
White copy or typing paper
Pencil with a good eraser
Crayon
Heart template (optional)

Help a child trace a heart onto a piece of paper using a template, or do it free-hand if desired.

Color in the heart with a crayon. Trace around the edges of the heart very heavily with the crayon, creating a heavy ½ inch thick border.

Take a pencil eraser. Press it to the inner edge of the border and pull it out beyond the border of the heart, drawing the crayon wax up and out. Go over it once or twice more to make it more pronounce.

Move over about 1/4 inch and make another line with the eraser. Continue doing this around the heart, and it will have a shining, glowing appearance.

Valentines Day Crown
Little ones will find this craft a lot of fun, since once they are done they can wear their crown for a Valentine's Day party or parade.

You Will Need:

1 Paper Plate, or round plate-sized cardstock
Poster paint and brushes, or markers
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors
Valentine's day embellishments: stickers, small paper hearts or candy hearts
Craft glue

Let children paint or color the paper plate on both sides and let it dry. If you don't have a plate, trace a dinner plate-sized circle on a piece of cardboard or cardstock and cut it out. This coloring job is just a base for the craft, so they don't have to get too detailed. Allow the plate to dry thoroughly.

Divide the plate with a pencil into 8 even wedges, like a pizza. Using a scissors or a craft knife, cut the plate for the children into a crown. Start in the center and follow the lines along the wedges until you are about 2 inches from the edge. Fold up the points that the wedges create for the points of a crown.

Let kids decorate the crown by gluing on paper hearts, candy hearts or putting on Valentine's Day stickers.

Table Top Valentine's Day Party Fountains
Festive little Valentine's Day paper structures make adorable and easy decorations as a table centerpiece or to display in a window.

You Will Need:
Colorful Paper
Scissors
Tape
Pipe Cleaners
Pencil
Paper or styrofoam cup
Tape or glue
Craft foam (optional)

Roll up a piece of colorful paper into a narrow tube. Cut into one end of the tube and make long slits going straight down, a little more than halfway to the other end. Space these cuts into the tube about 1/4 to ½ inch apart.

Stick your finger inside of the tube on the cut side and pull up, As the tube elongates the cut sections will become a "spray." Tape the bottom of the tube to hold the spray in place.

Turn a paper or styrofoam cup upside-down. Cut an "X" with scissors into the center of the bottom. Push the uncut end of the tube into it so the cup holds up the spray.

Decorate the cup with paper or craft foam cut-outs. Wrap pipe cleaners around a pencil then pull them off to make them curly like pig tails.

Tape paper hearts or craft foam cut-outs to one end of the pipe cleaner. Tuck the other ends into the paper tube spray going around it and coming out of the top.

Love Bug
Butterflies can brighten any holiday, especially when they are made specifically for Valentine's Day decorations.

You Will Need:

4 hearts, about 4-inches wide
4 hearts, about 3-inches wide
Tiny hearts, as many as desired
Glue stick
Craft glue
Popsicle stick
Ribbon

Make hearts by tracing and cutting them out, free-hand cutting them or with paper punches if desired.

Glue the 3-inch hearts on top of the 4-inch hearts with a glue stick. Glue the miniature hearts on top of them decoratively. Decorate further if desired with stickers, glitter glue or other shapes.

Glue two hearts to each side of the back of the popsicle stick, points meeting in the center, so they are like butterfly wings. Glue a small heart on top of the popsicle sticks as a face for the butterfly.

Glue a ribbon to the back so you can hang your love bug.