Valentine's Day Crafts for Young Children

Here are a few LOVEly ideas for Valentine's Crafts to do with your young one! Don't be too picky about the results - remember that it's the thought that counts! Make something special for your child's teacher, daycare provider, special friend, favorite relative, or those awesome grandparents! Do this a week ahead of Valentine's Day just in case you need to mail something out!

Potato stamp cards

Materials: Cardstock or construction paper folded into a card, 1 potato, small knife (for ADULT USE ONLY), ink pad or paint in a dish, glitter (optional)

Instructions: Before the activity begins, use the knife to cut the potato in half. You will cut a design into the flesh of the potato. If you are a first-time carver, stick to something simple like a heart for best results. Cut the flesh away to a depth of about a half an inch or so. Remember that whatever you cut away will be blank and what you leave will be the picture printed on the card.

Have your little one carefully dip the potato into shallow paint or, better yet, have them press the potato on an ink pad. Then help them to press the potato down on paper without sliding it around so that the image will look crisp. You might sprinkle a little glitter over the wet paint to add a little sparkle to the card! Let your child stamp away until the card is just right! Then assist them in writing a message to a special someone or simply their name!

Heart Butterflies

Materials: Cardstock or construction paper in various colors, popsicle stick, pipe cleaner, glue stick, glitter, crayons, and other decorating supplies (optional)

Instructions: Help your child cut two hearts out of paper. These will form the wings of the butterfly. In fact, you might even cut lots of hearts out in different sizes and use the smaller ones to decorate the wings. When the decorating of the wings is complete, use the glue stick to glue the wings together at their points - one will overlap the other a bit. When this is dry and secure, glue the popsicle stick down the middle so that the sideways hearts form the two wings of the butterfly. Attach the pipecleaner by twisting it around one end of the popsicle stick and allowing the ends to stick up like antennae. You might add a dab of glue or tape on the underside to keep the pipecleaner secure. Decorate the body (the popsicle stick) with glitter, beads, or whatever strikes your little one's fancy!

Photo Bookmark

Materials: Cardstock, copies of photos that can be cut up, child scissors, gluestick, crayons or markers

Instructions: Before the project begins, cut a bookmark-shaped strip out of the cardstock. Let your child practice cutting skills using child scissors. Have them cut out things from the photos you've assembled and decorate the bookmark for a special someone. If it's for a grandparent, for example, have them cut out the faces of all the grandkids. Decorate the paper with crayons and markers before and after gluing the pictures on both sides of the bookmark. Add a special message somewhere too!

Extra: We had our bookmarks laminated at a local copy store for very little money. Then you can punch a hole at one end, not too close to the end, and string a tassle through the hole to add a nice touch to your bookmark. If you don't have a tassle, use a little scrap yarn to serve as the marker that sticks out of the book when the bookmark is inside.

Heart "Mosaic"

Materials: Lots of small squares of tissue paper in Valentine colors (to resemble mosaic tile), large heart cut out of cardstock, gluestick. piece of ribbon to hang, scissors

Instructions: Explain to your child what a mosaic is before you get started! Have your child spread some glue over a section of the heart. Then let them place the squares of paper randomly in the glued area. Then continue on to the next section, spreading glue then placing squares of paper, until the entire heart is covered. Once it has dried, trim the edges for your child so that no paper is hanging over the edge of the heart. If you would like to make a hanging piece of art, have the child cover the back as well. Then punch a hole, add a ribbon, and hang where both sides can be seen.

Jazz this project up by using shiny paper or by gluing yarn around the edges as a border. Add someone's name in "tile" if your child is able to do something of this level.

You could use this same concept to decorate a wood picture frame from the craft store. Cover with a layer of Modge-Podge decoupage sealer afterwards for a nice protective finish.

There are countless Valentine's Day crafts to be done. Handmade means heartfelt in my book! Everyone in your child's life will feel the same way!