26 Adorable Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids
Before your kids arrived on the scene, Elmer’s glue and construction paper probably didn’t factor into your big Valentine’s Day plans. But now that you’re a parent, what better way to celebrate the occasion with your littlest love bugs than with some fun Valentine’s Day crafts? Maybe you’re looking to surprise your partner with some heartfelt toddler art. Or perhaps your school-aged kids want to make special DIY valentines for their classmates. To start your family off with some festive inspiration, we’ve rounded up some adorable Valentine’s Day crafts for kids. From bloggers’ favorite activities to easy, affordable Valentine’s Day craft kits, we’ve got you covered.
Searching for Valentine crafts that kids ages 1 through 3 can handle? With a little help, your tot can tackle these simple (and adorable) projects.
DIY Heart Stamp Art
If you’re a crafty parent at heart, it’s never too early to get your kids involved in your artsy endeavors. That said, it can be challenging to find a craft your toddler can pull off solo. Never fear: This super-cute Valentine’s Day craft for toddlers from Fantastic Fun and Learning keeps things simple for even the littlest ones. It brilliantly uses clothespins to transform foam heart stickers into stampers, and with their easy-to-grasp handle, they’re perfect for tiny hands.
Handprint Frame
Salt dough may be the ideal medium for Valentine crafts. Easy to mix and safe for kids, it lets you and your toddler make adorable, enduring keepsakes, like these handprint frames from Messy Little Monster. We love that they serve up a double dose of nostalgia, preserving both your child’s little handprint and a picture of them at the age the print was captured.
Toilet Paper Roll Heart Stamps
The best Valentine’s Day crafts for toddlers are easy for little hands to manage. And what’s easier (and cheaper!) than Valentine crafts made with toilet paper rolls? Pretty Prudent explains how to transform these common household items into heart stampers. Simply dip them in red or pink paint and let your little cupid go to town!
Candy Heart XO
This Valentine’s Day craft for toddlers is as easy as taking candy from a baby—or in this case, letting them create something special with it! Start with large foam letters (an X and an O) and let your little one glue candy hearts on them for a sweet finished product. (Just remember to supervise your kiddo and ensure they don’t try to eat anything, as the small candies could pose a choking hazard.) Find the full set of instructions at Carrie Elle: A Lifestyle Blog.
Salt Dough Footprint Keepsake
Press baby’s foot into salt dough to create this heartwarming footprint keepsake, brought to you by Red Ted Art. It’s easy, long-lasting and utterly adorable, making it one of our favorite Valentine’s Day crafts for toddlers.
Puffy Paper Bag Hearts
Looking to take your child’s fingerprint art to the next level? Happy Hooligans shows you how to make a paper bag into a puffy heart decorated in fingerpaint. Little kids will need help stitching the heart together with yarn, but the cuteness sure is worth it! If you’re worried about the level of mess, you can use stampers instead of fingers to apply the paint.
Children ages 3 through 4 have a little more practice in the crafting department—hello, preschool art projects. That means they’re ready to try these educational (but still fairly easy) Valentine’s Day crafts.
Heart-Shaped Bird Feeder
This heart-shaped bird feeder from Wine and Glue is one of those Valentine’s Day crafts for kids that’s a total win-win—it’s a super-fun activity that also teaches little ones about caring for animals. And when you’re in preschool, making anything with birdseed is automatically awesome.
Paper Heart Garland
Paging Supermom brings us another paper craft perfectly suited to the preschool crowd. After all, it’s not Valentine’s Day without a garland of paper hearts, right? Make it short to keep things simple, or challenge your kids to get from one side of the room to the other. Either way, we’re sure they’ll put their whole hearts into this one.
Framed Button Heart
This is one of our favorite Valentine’s Day crafts for preschoolers, simply because it’s cute as a button (pun intended). Your kids will love making this super-easy craft by Carrie Elle, and you’ll love showing it off for years to come.
Coffee Filter Suncatchers
Sarah at The Farm Wife Crafts puts a festive spin on the standard coffee filter kids’ craft, using hearts and holiday-specific colors. This craft isn’t a classic for nothing—preschoolers are endlessly amused by spraying the water and watching the colors spread.
Construction Paper Heart
Construction paper projects often make the best Valentine’s Day crafts for preschoolers, letting them practice important fine motor skills like cutting and folding—and this one is no exception! Find step-by-step instructions at Simply Today Life.
Take things to the next level with these Valentine crafts for 5-year-olds and up. They may require a bit more skill, but the sweet finished products are totally worth it.
Recycled Seed Paper Heart Valentines
An activity that teaches kids to reduce, reuse and recycle while spreading some Valentine’s Day love? Yes, please! These ingenious seed paper hearts from JaMonkey make for a gift that keeps on giving: Recipients can plant them in a pot or in the ground and flowers will grow in their place. And don’t miss the opportunity to squeeze in a quick recycling lesson as you mix the paper into pulp! Attach these cuties to a Valentine’s Day card or just hand them out.
Melted Crayon Hearts
For kids, there’s nothing more swoon-worthy than watching crayons melt into fun shapes and outlandish colors. So gather up those broken crayons and try out this craft, brought to you by Mom Luck. Here’s another of the Valentine’s Day crafts for kids that can be handed out to friends at school.
Valentine’s Day Heart Slime
Kids everywhere are having a love affair with slime right now, so why not make a Valentine’s Day-themed batch? Little Bins for Little Hands brings us this clear, glue-based slime sparkling with hearts and glitter. Bonus: It doubles as a perfect Valentine’s Day craft for kids and nifty STEM activity. Make a big batch to pass out to friends.
Secret Message Valentine
Here’s your mission, if you choose to accept it: Make these super-awesome secret message Valentines with your school-aged kids, then have them hand the cards out to classmates. Their friends will have a blast decoding the hidden message. Discover the key to creating these top-secret Valentine’s Day crafts for kids at Small + Friendly.
Tin Foil Hearts
Now that your kids are a bit older, letting them use Sharpies probably doesn’t seem so terrifying. Put them to good use making these vibrant hearts from Happy Hooligans. Your kids will have a whale of a time choosing their colors for these quick, simple Valentine crafts.
Heart Friendship Bracelets
We’re all about Valentine’s Day crafts that don’t make you want to chuck them in the trash when your child isn’t looking. And this heart friendship bracelet from Moms & Crafters definitely passes the test. Kids can flex their creative muscles as they design unique bracelets using Sharpies and wooden beads.
DIY Felt Heart Mobile
You’ll need to lend your child a hand for this activity, but trust us—your whole family will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come. And it’s never too early to teach your kids how to make a basic stitch! Get instructions for this adorable DIY Valentine’s Day craft at Red Ted Art.
Some Valentine’s Day crafts are more DIY than others. If you prefer the latter category, you’re in luck. We’ve found a few cute kits that make getting started a total breeze.
JOYIN Magic Color Scratch Hearts
Want to skip the supply shopping spree? This creative kit comes with everything little ones need to turn black paper hearts into colorful works of art. Simply draw on the blank canvases with the provided scratching tools to unveil the rainbow underneath. Kids will be amazed to see their scribbles “magically” come to life. Once they’re done, you can hang the finished products using the included red ribbon.
Buy it: $12, Amazon.com
Fun Express Cookie Foam Magnets
Baking real cookies is messy; making magnet Valentine’s Day “cookies” isn’t. Let your preschooler decorate these dessert-inspired hearts with the kit’s self-adhesive pieces. Once they’re done, they can display their masterpiece on the fridge.
Buy it: $19, Amazon.com
Fun Express Conversation Heart Picture Frame
Put your favorite Valentine’s Day family photo in this adorable picture frame, which your preschooler can decorate using the accompanying conversation heart adhesives.
Buy it: $18, Amazon.com
Baker Ross Love Heart Trees
Turn your kid’s Valentine’s Day crafts into sweet centerpieces. This kit includes supplies to make heart “trees.” We love the idea as a Valentine’s Day party activity.
Buy it: $9, Amazon.com
Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Wooden Heart Box
Let your big kid show off their stuff with this cute set. The kit contains paint, stickers and more to decorate the wooden box with. Once they’re finished, use the keepsake to hold other gifts (like jewelry) they’ve made you. Or, let them keep it to store their knick knacks in.
Buy it: $12, Amazon.com
Fancy Land Owl Ornaments
Looking for quick Valentine’s Day crafts? Kids can put these punny owls together in just a few simple steps—score!
Buy it: $11, Amazon.com
Kangaroo Flying Paper Airplanes
These aren’t your average Valentine’s Day cards. The DIY set comes with make-your-own paper airplanes that double as holiday notes.
Buy it: $10, Amazon.com
Crayola Heart Pencil Toppers
With the help of this kit, school-aged kids can mold and decorate their very own heart-shaped pencil toppers.
Buy it: $17, Crayola.com
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