Valentine's Day Crafts - Magnets!

There a number of types of Magnets children can make for Valentine's Day! These crafts are all fairly easy and can be adapted to be used with young children or older children. Everyone can use another magnet for their refrigerator and it is the perfect little gift children can give to the one's they love.

Play Dough Heart Magnets
Materials:
Play Doh or Clay
Rolling Pin
Magnetic strip or magnets
Hot Glue or Craft Glue

Directions: Roll the play dough out with a rolling pin and use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut. Or you can have the child shape the play dough into a heart (making sure to have a flat back) and let it harden. This will take at least a day. Then attach a magnetic strip to the back with hot glue (adults do this part) or craft glue.

A Variation of this craft, you can make your own play dough.

The recipe is:
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
¼ cup salt
food coloring

Directions to make Play Dough:
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pot and knead until well blended. Place in a bag or airtight container when cooled.

Valentine Puzzle Piece Magnet
Materials:
Puzzle Pieces
Newspaper
Acrylic Craft Paint or Spray Paint
Paint Pen or Markers
Magnetic strip or magnets
Hot Glue or Craft Glue

Directions: All you need are a couple of extra puzzle pieces and some creativity. Lay the puzzle pieces out on some newspaper before painting. Paint the puzzle pieces, Kids can paint with acrylic craft paint or adults can spray paint depending on the look you're going for or the amount of pieces that need to be painted. After the pieces have dried, use a paint pen to write a message on the puzzle pieces. Some fun sayings include:
*You are my missing piece!
*I love you to pieces!
*You complete my puzzle!

Once it's dry attach a magnetic strip to the back with hot glue (adults) or craft glue. There you have it, it's complete!

A variation of this craft is to make Puzzle Piece Pins.

Valentine Photo Magnet
Materials:
Favorite Photo
Heavy Construction paper, card stock, or poster board
Scissors
Glitter, Beads, Feathers, or other decorations
Magnetic strip or magnets
Markers
Craft Glue or Hot Glue

Directions: Take a favorite photo and make it a memory for someone special. Use heavy construction paper (or card stock or poster board) and cut a heart (or any favorite shape). Now you can mount the photo with craft glue onto the paper. Then use glitter, sparkles, feathers, beads, or even just markers to decorate the paper. Attach magnet to the back with hot glue (adults) or craft glue. Viola you have a Photo Magnet for Valentine's Day!

Valentine Heart Animal Magnets
Materials:
Construction Paper or Craft Foam (either pre-cut heart shapes or sheets of varying sizes)
Scissors
Craft Glue
Wiggly Eyes
Craft Markers
Magnetic strip or magnets

Directions: Using a variety of size hearts in a variety of colors, make your favorite animals out of shapes. Mice, rabbits, ladybugs, frogs, raccoons, butterflies, cats, and even elephants are just a few of the animals that can be formed from different shaped hearts. Do an online search to get patterns and pictures of how these can be formed. www.kidsdomain.com is just one of the sites with examples. Once the animals are all assembled, attach a magnet to the back and viola, you have a Valentine Heart Animal Magnet!

*Note about the magnets or magnetic strips. You can purchase the magnetic strip that has "sticker" on the back so you don't even need to glue the magnets to the back of the crafts. I suggest reinforcing the sticker side with craft glue or glue gun to make sure it sticks well. Have Fun and Don't forget all the special people in your child's life on Valentine's Day!