Easy Valentine’s Crafts for Kids – Wellness Mama

Valentine’s Crafts for Kids

Most of us can remember the conversation heart candies and little paper Valentine’s Day cards that we exchanged as kids. Our family limits processed sugar, though, and papercrafts can really start to pile up around the house. We always have pipe cleaners, pom-poms, and stickers on hand for art projects, but these kids’ crafts go a little beyond that.

I wanted to do some projects with the kids that would be fun for them and also create a useful gift for friends and family. Your little ones could also exchange these gifts at school or make some for siblings. Some of these projects will require a little more help from an adult, but they’re easy enough for kids of all ages (even preschoolers) to do.

Wildflower Seed Heart Valentines

This Valentine’s craft for kids kills two birds with one stone. We’re upcycling paper and helping to save the bees and other pollinators. They look a little like candy hearts, but without the processed sugar and food coloring. I used scrap white paper and threw in some red construction paper to make a pink color.

You won’t want to plant these in February, but spring (and flower planting season) is right around the corner. Include planting instructions if these heart crafts are a gift, and be sure to use flowers native to your area. Here are a few places to get non-GMO seeds:

• True Leaf Market
• Seeds Now
• Baker’s Creek

Wildflower Seed Heart Materials Needed

• Red and white scrap paper
• Wildflower seeds
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter
• Pen or marker
• Blender
• Mesh screen (like an old window screen)

Instructions

1. Tear up the scrap pieces of paper and put them in the blender. If you want pink hearts, you can use red and white, or you could just do white paper. If you have a lot of paper in a certain color (like yellow), then you could make several batches. Experiment and see what you like.
2. Put enough water in the blender to submerge the paper, and let it soak for 15 minutes or so. Blend until it’s a thick pulp. Add more water as needed if the paper starts to jam up.
3. Pour the paper water slurry onto a screen and generously sprinkle in your wildflower seeds. You want to smooth out the slurry some on the screen so it’s not too thick.
4. Once the paper has completely dried (a few hours), carefully peel it off of the screen.
5. Lay a heart-shaped cookie cutter on the paper and trace around it with the pen or marker. Cut out the heart shapes.
6. Make a card with planting instructions to give with the heart if it’s a gift.

DIY Valentine Handprint Heart Tree

This project is great for the youngest ones in the family and makes a great gift for grandparents. Tracing their hand and cutting out the hearts helps kids practice their fine motor skills and teaches symmetry. As a homeschool family, these are just some of the skills we cover in a day! Here’s the easy tutorial for this cute Valentine keepsake.

Handprint Heart Tree Materials

• Red, white, pink, and brown construction paper
• Cardstock
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue or glue stick

Instructions

1. Have your little one trace their hand and down their arm on the brown piece of paper, helping them if needed. Their fingers are the tree branches and their arm is the trunk.
2. Cut out the handprint tree and glue it to another sheet of paper, preferably cardstock.
3. Fold the colored construction paper in half and trace out half a heart. You’ll want it to make a full heart once it’s cut and the paper is opened. Do this several times, making hearts of different sizes and colors. This is a good time to use up those little colored paper scraps.
4. Have your little ones cut the outline of the hearts.
5. Glue the hearts onto the “tree branches” to make heart foliage on the tree. You can also use a heart stamp to add some more visual contrast to the tree.
6. Don’t forget to have your kiddos sign their masterpiece before gifting it!

DIY Heart-Shaped Crayons

Valentine’s crafts for kids that use up scrap items in the house are always a plus in my book. DIY crayons might look sophisticated, but they’re easy peasy to make. You don’t even need any craft supplies for this one.

I have silicone molds that I specifically use for things like lotion bars and sugar scrub cubes. If you plan on using a mold for food, like vitamin C gummies, then keep it separate from your crafting molds.

DIY Crayons Materials

• Old broken crayon pieces
• Heart-shaped silicone mold (or another shape if you prefer)
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
2. Help your child take the paper off the crayons and snap or cut them into smaller pieces if they’re on the large side.
3. Place the crayon pieces into the silicone molds. They can use one color for each mold or mix and match for a multicolored crayon.
4. Put the silicone mold onto a baking sheet for more stability, and bake the crayons in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until melted.
5. Allow the crayons to cool completely before removing them from the mold.
6. You can give these separately or attach them to a piece of cardstock with a Valentine’s message.

Fingerprint Heart Valentine’s Day Card

This one may not be something to use like the other craft ideas, but it’s a nice touch to give a homemade gift with a homemade Valentine card. Thank you cards are also big in our house. Older kids could make a heart collage with tissue paper, decorate it with stamps, and get creative.

Heart Card Materials

• Paint (red, white, or pink)
• Cardstock
• Construction paper (white, red, or pink)
• Markers

Instructions

1. Put a layer of paint on your child’s hands. Have them hold their hands in a V shape with their fingertips touching. Choose a contrasting paint and paper color so the colors don’t just blend together. You could do red paint on pink paper, white paint on red paper, etc.
2. Press the paint-covered hands onto a colored piece of construction paper. Let the paint dry.
3. Once it’s dried, trace a heart shape around the handprints and cut it out.
4. Glue the heart cutout onto some cardstock and write a custom message.

More Easy Valentine’s Day Crafts

There are a lot of fun Valentine’s Day crafts for kids out there, so here are a few more ideas.

• Heart-shaped bird feeders
• Easy origami heart
• Easy bookmarks for Valentine’s Day
• Heart garland decoration

What activities do your kids do on Valentine’s Day? Any special traditions? Let us know in the comments!