Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and my blog is being slammed by people looking for Valentine crafts. (And some of them started right after Christmas! Who are you highly organized, far-seeing people?! I’m not worthy of you!) I just couldn’t do the same old crafts, so I scoured the internet, racked my brain for some interesting crafts. Zeemaid actually sent me this cool link about making a clay pendant, but I never went to get the clay. Mommy fail. But I hope you enjoy the other crafts. Keep in mind that the younger the child, the more work you need to do to help the child; while older children will be able to do more of the craft than I plan for. My sons are two and four when they did these crafts.
If you’re looking for more Valentine’s Day Crafts, check out my other post.
Heart Lawn
(Nothing says love like grass, right? Ok, you figure out how to grow roses from a sponge. The boys LOVED dumping the grass seed on the sponges. They are waiting anxiously for the grass to grow. You can change the shape of the sponge to use any time.)
Things you need:
- Sponge
- Marker
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Scissors
- Water
- Plate
- Grass seed
- Plastic wrap
Use the heart-shape cookie cutter to trace a heart on the sponge. Cut out the heart. Wet the sponge to make it damp. Have the child pour grass seed onto the sponge. You can use a bowl and spoon to make it less messy. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap. Check every few days to make sure the sponge is wet. As soon as you see grass poking out, remove the plastic wrap. In about two weeks, you should have a little grass lawn.
Sewing Heart Magnets
( I modified a craft I did in Girl Scouts all those years ago to make it easier on the boys. And a tad less feminine. That’s really the problem with a lot of Valentine crafts. The boys enjoyed “sewing,” and Tornado E creatively made more of a net instead of going around the heart. It turned out great, so let your child experiment. I used a four inch cookie cutter.)
Things you need:
- Red craft foam
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Pen
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Ribbon ( we used white)
- Tape
- Magnet
- Glue
You can buy pre-cut foam craft hearts, or you can make your own. Trace a heart-shaped cookie cutter on the read foam. Cut out the heart. Hole punch around the heart. For younger kids, make fewer holes. Cut the piece of ribbon to two to three feet. Tape the end to make it a needle, making it easier for younger children to sew with it. Tape the other end on the back of the heart. Have the child sew in and out of the holes. (My son is two, and I held the heart so he could put it in the hole; then I turned it over, and he pulled the ribbon tight.) After the child is done sewing, tape the end to the back. For older children you can have the ends meet in the front in a bow. Glue a magnet on the back.
3-D Heart Flowers
(I modified a Martha Stewart craft for this one. I hope she doesn’t mind. The boys thought it was really fun. If you would like, have the child decorate the hearts before making the flower.)
Things you need:
- Red, pink or white construction paper
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Pen
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Pony bead
- Pipe cleaner
Trace the heart-shaped cookie cutter on the construction paper, making four to six hearts. Cut out the hearts. Hole punch the hearts at the tip of the heart. Have the child thread the pony bead onto the pipe cleaner, leaving about an inch of pipe cleaner above the bead. Bend the pipe cleaner down and twist, securing the bead at the top of the pipe cleaner. Have the child thread the hearts (how many the child wants) onto the pipe cleaner to the top under the pony bead. Knot the pipe cleaner underneath the hearts. Have the child spread the hearts to form a flower.
Faemom 