A Hand Says More Than Words for Valentine's Day

The first step in any good craft project is to gather your supplies. For this you are more than welcome, and even encouraged, to get help from your children.

You will need: Tan, Black, and White construction paper
Safety Scissors
A Pencil
Hot Glue
A Hot Glue Gun
White Craft Glue
Other colors of craft paper depending on how you will decorate your Valentine.

Trace one of your children's hands onto the construction paper with the pencil. Make sure they have their hands spread as widely as possible. Ideally, you will want the thumb and middle finger at a 90 degree angle from each other. You will also need to trace down the arm a few inches.

Carefully cut out the hand with the safety scissors (if your children are of the appropriate age, let them cut out the valentine).

Using the "arm" of the hand as a guide, cut out one piece of black construction paper that is shorter than the wrist, but slightly wider. Also cut out a small (1/2") round circle out of the black construction paper.

Again, using the "arm" of the hand as a guide, cut a narrower (as wide as the arm) strip of white construction paper. This will be longer and narrower than the black piece of construction paper.

If you want to get creative, you can use gold or silver scrapbook paper for a ring, or even red scrapbook paper for finger nails at this point. Regardless, you should decorate the hand to look like a hand. In my example, you will have a gentleman's hand in a suit coat.

Paste the pieces of the hand together with white glue, being careful not to let any squeeze out.

Using the Hot Glue Gun, glue just the tip of the middle finger down towards the center of the palm. Now repeat the process with the ring finger.

This has now formed "I Love You" in ASL (American Sign Language) allowing your Valentine to express love in more than just words.