Valentine’s Crafts with Kids

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays where it feels right to get a little kitschy with your decor, especially if you have small ones at home. What better way to go all out than doing crafts with your kids? Taking time to do a craft with them will fill their quality-time cup, and give them the pride of accomplishing a fun project with their favorite person in the world. Bonus points if you find a way to display their craft for them to enjoy every day. Don’t be afraid to do a little extra in assisting your child. The outcome doesn’t matter, but what does matter is that you were able to make a fun memory together. Pinterest.com has endless ideas and tutorials for valentines crafts with kiddos! Listed below are some excellent options for all ages that are easily searched.

Infant (0–12 months)

• Heart “hand painting”
• Baby footprints across a canvas

With little babies, your best bet is to do a simple and straightforward craft. Their dexterity hasn’t developed much yet, so letting them play in some baby-safe paint, or capturing their tiny footprints across a canvas is a fun and memorable option.

Toddler (1–3 years) 

• Construction paper hearts
• Potato stamp art

As your little one begins to show more interest in making their own art, these crafts are fun ways to customize their art! These crafts are perfect for the little one who is beginning to make their preferences known. Adding their art to their personal space is a good bonus to making the activity especially memorable.

Child (4–8 years)

• Decorate a valentine mailbox
• Decorate sugar cookies
• Create heart paper chains

These options are for those kids who are able to handle a pair of scissors. (Or have the impulse control to not eat every cookie they decorate!) Decorating or creating a mailbox can be a fun way for your elementary schooler to collect their school valentines, and is a special memento they can hang onto each year. Paper chains are a fun craft to decorate your home and will give your child pride in making your home beautiful. 

Kid (8–12 years)

• Heart pillow
• Modge Podge string art
• Decorate a flowerpot 

For those older elementary kids or pre-teens, it might be a little more difficult to convince them to sit down and do a craft with you. These projects are a little bit messy and may take more prep, but anyone can enjoy it. A heart-shaped pillow can be customized with their fabric of choice, and may be a special token as they enter into a fun but challenging age. 

Holidays with kids can feel high-pressure, but these options add a level of simplicity that will help you both slow down enough to enjoy the day and enjoy each other's presence. You don’t have to have special skills to have a good time with your child.