Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion for children to get creative and express their love with homemade crafts. These “heart” felt creations not only brighten up the day, but they also serve as meaningful keepsakes for family and friends.
Homemade Valentine hearts offer endless opportunities for creativity with simple materials you likely have on-hand in your craft closet (paper, paint, etc.). The beauty of crafting at home is that it allows children to tap into their imagination and develop important skills like fine motor coordination, pattern recognition, and attention to detail. Plus, the joy of giving something they’ve made with their own hands adds a special touch to the celebration.
These crafts also provide a fun bonding activity for families, encouraging teamwork and shared moments of joy. Whether it’s creating a pile of heart-shaped cards to hand out, making heart garlands to decorate the house, or even scattering them in secret spots for a scavenger hunt, crafting homemade Valentines is a meaningful way for children to connect with the spirit of the season.
Shaving Cream Hearts
You’ll need:
Shaving cream
Craft tray
Washable paint
Wooden skewer
Watercolor paper
Squeegee or plastic ruler
Scissors
Add shaving cream to craft tray, then add paint in desired colors in long lines on top of shaving cream. (To get a saturated look, use more paint. To achieve a marbled effect, use less.)
Use a wooden skewer to swirl paint around in a marble effect.
Place a sheet of watercolor paper on top of the shaving cream and lightly press. Remove paper and wipe off excess shaving cream in a vertical motion with a squeegee or plastic ruler. Repeat with more paper, adding paint as needed.
Allow shaving cream paint to dry completely, placing books over dried prints to flatten, if necessary.
Once dry, use a heart template or freehand cut heart patterns from the papers.
Blow Paint Hearts
You’ll need:
Food coloring or liquid watercolors
Watercolor paper
Plastic straws
Thin desired shades of food coloring with water in small bowls or glasses, or add liquid watercolors to small bowls.
Help younger children or direct older ones to dip their straw in the desired color, holding it in with their finger pressed to the top of the straw, then removing their finger to drip-drop paint onto paper.
Use the straw to “blow” the paint around the paper. Repeat with desired colors until paper is full of color.
Allow paint to dry completely, then cut out hearts from paper.
Tips: Cutting the straws shorter reduces the effort of blowing. You can also cut a small hole near the top of the straw so smaller kids don’t accidentally suck up paint. Be sure the colors are watery enough to be blown.
Watercolor Hearts
You’ll need:
Scissors
11 x 15 watercolor paper
Watercolor paints
Brush
Glass of water
Measure and cut out a heart template (approximately 4.75 x 5.25 inches) from a piece of watercolor paper. Trace the template with a pencil onto a full sheet of paper. (You can fit more hearts if you alternate the direction of the template.)
Paint patterns and designs onto the hearts, blending colors as desired. Be sure to paint a little over the pencil lines of each heart.
Allow paint to dry completely before cutting out hearts. (Painting over the pencil lines gives each heart a clean edge once cut.)