5 Awesome Valentine Crafts for Kids {Guest Post}

The exact origin of Valentine’s Day has long been debated, but the saint which the holiday was named after supposedly sent a proclamation of love, which was dubbed the first “valentine.” St. Valentine helped create a holiday that is now filled with cute hearts, little cupids, and, of course, yummy candy. This cuteness overload leaves a lot of opportunities for many things, such as decorations, cute treats, and sweet accessories, but mostly: ultra-fun kids’ crafts. Usually, kids spend most of their holiday cheer handing out Valentine’s Day cards to classmates, but this February you could try something a little different. Custom gifts for their special someone, awesome table toppers for friends or family, and household decorations are just a few ways for kids to branch out from their boring old Valentine’s Day cards. The five crafts below take Valentine’s Day gifts a step beyond the ordinary. Enjoy!

Salt Dough Heart Pins & Magnets

Salt dough is a super simple and fun craft for kids of any age. Create the dough using a simple mixture of salt, flour, and water. Bake the dough for two hours, let them cool, and you are ready to start creating! Paint and glitter each of your hearts (or other valentine shape) for a cute and customized pin or magnet. If bling is your kid’s thing, try using rhinestones or gems instead of glitter! The salt dough creations are made with a flat back, which is a perfect space for a “to and from,” as well as the date. Here is the salt dough recipe.

Valentine Photo Frames

Fun photos are the perfect gift for anybody on Valentine’s Day. Foam hearts, glitter, or paint could be used to customize an inexpensive frame or cardboard square. Have children find their favorite photo of them with their best friend, crush, or parent and have them create a frame that represents their love for them. Other ideas for frame decorations: foam letters, feathers, gemstones, buttons, ribbons, bows, and stickers. This little gift will be a keepsake for many Valentine’s Days to come! 

Heart Boxes

Heart boxes are a perfect way to house your Valentine’s candy, from conversation hearts to little chocolate kisses. If your child’s Valentine is getting an extra special gift this year, it could even be used to house jewelry, perfume, or a gift card to their favorite store. Have your child paint, color, or bedazzle their heart shaped box for a quick and easy gift that is unique to each of their Valentine’s. In this craft idea, the package is just as much of a gift as what is inside of it! If your little one wants to add even more personalization, add a photo, quote, or short message that shows their Valentine how much they care for them on this special day. 

Crocheted Hearts

For a more advanced holiday craft, try crocheting little hearts. These cute little hearts can be created in multiple colors and turned in to a variety of different gifts. This project would also be the perfect opportunity to try a new craft if you or your children don’t already know how to crochet. Find a step-by-step book or video tutorials to guide you through the process. This pattern, found here, is simple one, great for beginners, and would be a fun and easy way for kids to get used to needle work. Brooches, magnets, or even a string of hearts for garland and bunting can be created using this simple pattern. If you get daring with your crocheting skills, you and your child could even try to make a love themed scarf, table cover, or wall hanging. 

Cardboard Tube Cupid

We can’t forget about Cupid on the day full of love. This super cute Cupid decoration is a great project for young Valentine’s Day lovers and can be used as an ornament or table top decoration. This simple-but-sweet craft could also be a great desk top gift for teachers. All you need is a tube (either  a toilet paper roll or a paper towel roll for a extra-tall Cupid), cotton balls, paint, glitter chenille stems, and glue. As a fun aside, kids could make their cupid’s look like their valentine. You could add clothes or colored cotton balls to match their hair. There are multiple steps for this project, including scissor-use, so parental assistance will be needed for young crafters.

About the Author

Allison Heard writes for a Halloween costume company, which has cute costumes and accessories for Valentine’s Day. Allison is very excited for Valentine’s Day and is planning on making crocheted cell phone covers for her friends.

**All pictures provided by guest poster.