(emily)
That’s right, folks, Valentine’s Day is this Thursday, and we’ve collected a whole bunch of great ideas to share the love with your little valentines.
Valentines From Your Little Ones
I love finger painting. I think it’s so much fun, even if it’s messing. Here are three great Valentine finger painting crafts:
Handprint Valentines
by The Shirleys
Ages: 0+
Mess Level: Medium but with potential
Supplies: white paper, pink and red paint, heart-shaped doilies, paint brush, scissors, glue, markers
Set up: Cover up any surface you don’t want to get paint on, and make sure children are wearing clothing they can get a little messy in if need be.
Paint one your child’s hands in light pink. Place on white paper and press down to leave a print. Clean off the remaining pink paint.
Paint your child’s other hand red. Place hand at an angle to the previous print so that the palms of the red hand and pink handprint do not overlap but the fingers do. The palms form the curved tops of the heart, and the fingers create the bottom point.
Once dry, cut out the handprints in a heart shape. Glue to heart-shaped doily. Write a valentine message.
Heart Tree
Ages: 2+
Mess Level: High
Supplies: White paper; paints; smocks; easel; newspaper or a shower curtain to catch any falling paint; heart-shaped sponges
Set Up: Secure the white paper to the easel and cover the surrounding floor and area to keep paint stains at a minimum.
Paint your child’s palm and arm in either green or brown. Place against the paper and press down, leaving a print with your child’s handprint up at the top, fingers spread out. This is the trunk and branches of your tree.
Clean up your child’s hand and arm, or you might just get handprints all over your house.
With your heart-shaped sponges, dip into paint and press around the fingerprints to create the leaves of the tree. You can use greens for the leaves, Valentine’s Day colors, or whatever colors your child wants.
Heart-shaped sponges can be purchased at your local craft stores, or you can make your own by cutting a standard kitchen sponge. You can also bend a cardboard toilet paper roll into a heart shape and use that as a stamp.
Let your child’s art dry and then hang up in your house.
Flower Bouquet
Ages: 2+
Mess Level: Chernobyl
Supplies: Sheets of white paper; cardstock; construction paper; finger paints in Valentine’s Day colors or whatever colors you’d like; green marker; heart-shaped sponges; scissors; glue; smocks; newspaper, plastic mats, or old shower curtain to maintain mess; paper plates
Set Up: Cover up your workspace. Put a smock on your baby or strip him down to his diaper because this is going to get messy.
Get a sheet of plain white paper, a paper plate, and one color of paint. Pour paint onto plate. Have your child cover the sheet of paper in his handprints. He can be as messy as he wants, we just want a lot of paint on that paper and for him to have fun.
Once he’s done, switch out the paper and paint for a clean sheet and a new color. Continue until you have as many colors as you want.
Tip: Do one color at a time and clean up in between each one. This helps limit mess and also keeps the colors from mixing.
Give your child a final sheet of white paper and a green marker. Let him scribble to his heart’s content. While he’s occupied, take his masterpieces and cut out hearts of various sizes.
When his scribbling is complete, cut out long, thin strips of the green.
With your little one’s help, glue strips to your cardstock. Preferably vertical, as these strips are the stems of your bouquet. (You can either fold your cardstock to make a card or leave flat to make a poster.)
Next glue the hearts to the tops of the stems. These are your flowers.
Cut out a vase shape from the construction paper and glue over the bottoms of the stems.
You can either add a Valentine’s Day message or leave it as it is.
Aren't these fun? Don't you wish you could spend some time crafting? Well, you're in luck, parents. I’ve also found some great valentines you can give your children:
Heart Attack
Age: 5+
Mess Level: Low
Supplies: Construction paper, markers, scissors, tape
Cut out as many hearts as you want. Write little love notes to your children about why you love them or what you love about them. Then stick up one on your child’s door every day from February 1 to the 14 as a Valentine’s Day advent calendar. Or you can wait until the morning of Valentine’s day to cover their door. Heart attack indeed.
Secret Admirer
Age: 4+
Mess Level: Medium with potential
Supplies: White paper, white crayons, watercolors, paintbrushes, scissors, newspaper or an old shower curtain to maintain mess.
Cut out white paper hearts. Write love messages to your children in white crayon. Place valentines throughout the house and send your children on a scavenger hunt. Once all the hearts are collected, head to the kitchen.
At the table, pass out paintbrushes and watercolors to your kids. Let them paint over their valentines and reveal your messages.
Once dry, hang up around your house.
Be sure to check our Valentine's Board on Pinterest for more ideas!