I am a pretty crafty mama and will admit that I can go a little overboard with every last detail because I enjoy it so much. If you only knew the time spent on my children’s birthday parties! However, when it is time for my children to create things for others, I feel wholeheartedly that they should come from them.
My daughter has been making her own Valentines since she was old enough to glue. Homemade Valentines just feel right. The kind that have drippy glue, doily hearts, and misspelled words. Valentines from a simpler time.
Valentine’s Day is a perfect occasion to bust out scrapbook paper or crafting supplies in your cabinet and provide some creative time for your kiddos. In the weeks leading up to V-Day, we do just that. For these simple Valentines, you don’t need much. Whatever you have on hand will be fine. A couple of little embellishments will make some one-of-a-kind Valentines for those dear to your little ones’ hearts.
Supplies
You will need cookie cutters or stencils for tracing, scrapbook paper, heart doilies, embellishments, scissors, glue, and pre-cut cardstock.
Step 1
Have your child trace the outside of the cookie-cutter shape on the back of the scrapbook paper. I used 12 by 12 pieces and directed her to do a row of three to give her space to cut.
Step 2
Your child can cut out the shapes with assistance if needed. For children under four, I would do steps one and two for them or even skip them altogether and use the other supplies.
Step 3
Layout the materials in an assembly line – cut out the shape, doily, and card. Embellishments can be placed on little plates accessible to little hands.
Step 4
Put it all together. Your child should glue the doily to the front of the card (a glue stick works fine) and then arrange the shape and embellishments to their liking. Glue sticks should work for most paperlike materials, but I also provide double-sided scrapbook squares or Elmer’s glue for thicker embellishments.
Step 5
Choose the recipient. Now your little one can pick who the Valentine is for and write a sweet message for the person on the other side of the card. There is plenty of room to show off their new writing skills or coloring skills. When my daughter was three, I photocopied a written copy of her name and let her glue it inside, so she didn’t get tired of writing it repeatedly.
Typically, we spread out these steps over the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, keeping everything in a basket so my daughter can work on it as she pleases. She’s happy because she gets to be creative. I am so glad because it entertains her and is great for building fine motor skills and spelling practice.
