Cute Valentine’s Day Crafts & Cards To Make With Kids

Make a tribute to love with your little loves.

While growing up I was always fascinated with everything to do with love. Romantic movies made me go weak at the knees and, if I had it my way, I would even have got married on Valentine’s Day! Now that I have a daughter who’s the spitting image of my husband when it comes to looks, but so much like me in interests, tastes and personality, I have found myself the perfect Valentine’s Day partner. She is always part of my sappy projects, from amateur photography to making cards and various arts and crafts. Here are a few of the cute Valentine’s Day crafts and cards we have made over the years, which you can copy at home with your little ones (whether they’re babies or toddlers, or school-age).

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With babies and toddlers

With very young children, there is not much they can do themselves or even express clearly. But here are a few easy ideas to make cards that will show your other half just how they feel!

1. Use Handprints/Footprints

This is probably the easiest and most effective way to make a card with babies. Handprints and footprints will always be a fond memory for parents. As kids grow up so fast, we, as parents, always want to hold on to those memories of tiny little feet and hands. I’ve used my daughter’s footprints and handprints for many cards over the years. You can write different messages, such as, “I love daddy from the top of my head to the tips of my toes!” or “You’re my lovebug!”. Look here for more inspiration.

2. All Things Hearts

Messy play is always a hit with toddlers. Use heart-shaped sponges and a bit of paint to make a pretty adorable Valentine’s Day card. You can also cut out hearts from red paper and encourage them to apply glue and stick it on. The result may not always be very neat, but the message will be loud and clear!

3. Use Photographs

As my daughter, Isha, got older, we had alphabet foam mats on the floor all the time. I pulled out the letters to form Dadu (Daddy) and took a few quick photos and used them to make an easy card. It brought a big smile to her surprised papa’s face!

I have made photo cards with Isha several times. A friend gave me the idea to do a Kissing Booth project. I loved setting up the photo by planting many kisses on my chubby darling and then my friend edited it and layered the different elements together to create an adorable card. There are lots more ideas here. You can always take a free template and add your child’s photograph using Photoshop, Canva or any photo editing tool, and play around to create the perfect card. Alternatively, a photograph coupled with some arts and crafts is a great option. I made a “To The Moon And Back” card with my daughter when she was slightly older and it still hangs proudly in our house.

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With older kids

1. Experiments

Festive celebrations and special occasions need not always involve making something – they can also be an opportunity to learn. Science is such an exciting subject for 6-year-olds, so I got Isha to conduct an experiment for herself. This simple soda heart just requires baking soda, food colour and vinegar, and can keep kids engrossed for 30 precious minutes (or even more if they read and follow all the instructions by themselves!). It gave Isha an introduction to chemistry as she followed the steps to make her own pink fizzy heart.

2. E-cards

If you are making a card, it doesn’t have to take up too much time and effort. There are a number of applications available such as Fuzel Collage, Pic Collage etc. that can be used to create something quickly (maybe your kids will be able to help you choose!). My most recent creation for 2020 has been this simple, but super quick, e-card.

3. Explosion Box

If you have an older kid who is very artsy (and patient!), you can work with him or her to create a photo book or an explosion box. I made this one a few years back when Isha was too young to help and it’s a much-adored memory box. If you aren’t confident about following the instructions online, visit Bravo Kids Gallery with your child and take this fun scrapbooking + explosion box class together.

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