Child's
Play Home | Preschool
Themes | Valentine's Day
Crafts & Activities
Songs, Finger plays,
Nursery Rhymes
Recipes
Valentine's Day Books
Printable
Pages for Valentine's Day
Crafts & Activities
Arts & Crafts Supplies
As well as the usual everyday supplies, pick up a few of these items
to have on hand for your valentine arts & crafts:
-
heart shaped confetti
-
heart shaped sponges
-
candy confections
-
paper doilies
-
things red/white/pink: tissue paper, construction paper, glitter,
pasta shapes, and wrapping paper
-
ribbon
-
lace
-
valentine stickers and stamps
Tip: Stock up on these items during the "after Valentine's Day sales"
in February! Store them in a special theme box for next year!
Valentine Crown
Construction paper (white and red)
scissors
glue
Cut a 2 inch wide strip of red paper long enough to fit around your
head. Tape the ends
together. Cut two more strips of paper, each 1 inch wide and
12 inches long. Fold one strip in half and make a 2 inch cut in the
center. Glue that strip from one side of the headband to the other.
Glue the second strip on so that the band is divided into quarters.
Tuck and glue the center of the second strip into the cut of the first.
Cut a heart and glue into the center. Decorate the crown with
hearts cut from white paper.
Surprise Valentine Tube
Paper towel tube
yarn
red tissue paper
aluminum foil, or foil paper or colored cellophane
snack treat or small toy
paper
scissors
glue
Cut a section from a paper towel tube to make it a little shorter. For
a handle, tape the ends of a piece of yarn to the inside of each tube end.
Cut and glue a strip of red tissue paper around the edge of each end of
the tube. Cut slits in the tissue for fringe. Cover the tube
with
glue and foil or cellophane. Add cut paper hearts. Place snack
treat or toy inside the middle of the tube. Stuff the tube ends with
crumpled tissue paper.
Stuffed Hearts
Cut two large construction paper hearts and decorate with a special
valentine message. Punch holes along the edges and lace together with yarn
or ribbon, leaving several inches open. Stuff with crumpled tissue paper,
finish lacing, and tie a bow (to center the bow ask the kids start their
lacing at the point on the bottom or in the dip in the center of the "V"!)
Red, White and Pink Art
Let children create their own designs with red, white and pink markers,
crayons or paint.
Heart Mouse
For each heart mouse you will need: one large heart, 3 small
hearts
Fold the large heart in half; glue halves together. Fold 1 small
heart in half; and glue to make an ear as shown. Staple a yarn tail
with the second small heart glued on the end. Glue the third small
heart on for an eye as shown. You may want to add whiskers and a tiny heart
shaped nose! Make larger mice and use it as a placemat!
Make Holiday Hairpieces for your kids!
Using play dough make several small heart shapes. Let dry.
When dry paint with red, pink or white tempera paint. Hot glue the small
hearts to old hair barrettes, add some ribbon and you have some festive
holiday hair clips.
Valentine Puppets
Cut out interesting characters from children's valentine cards.
Glue them to popsicle sticks or plastic straws and have a puppet show or
tell a story!
Valentine Mailboxes
Give each child a small box (a shoe box works great). Cut a small
slit in the top for all their Valentine deliveries! Let the children
decorate their mailbox with a variety of items (see above list for ideas!)
Heart Lunch Bags
Decorate your kids brown paper lunch bags for the occasion. Use
potatoes cut in half and carved into the shape of hearts. Dip in paint
and press onto paper bags. Use red, white and pink paints for that festive
touch.
Shades of Pink
Discuss how the color pink is made. Supply the children with
red and white paint and a piece of white paper. Ask the children
to mix the colors to find their favorite shade of pink.
Fancy Mobile
Have your child punch holes in his/her valentines, thread and hang
them from a hanger to create a mobile. Or take two hangers and cross them;
hang valentines from them. Hang finished mobile from a curtain rod or picture
hook.
Heart Dog
You will need 1 large heart, 1 medium heart, 2 small hearts, and 1
slightly smaller for the tail.
Glue the two small hearts to the medium heart (head) as shown.
Glue head to the body. Glue the smaller heart to the body for the
tail. Add the facial features with a felt marker. You may want to
cut a tiny heart for the nose from a contrasting color paper.
Heart Necklaces
With a bit of yarn or ribbon the kids can thread red, white and pink
heart shaped beads or small heart shapes from construction paper (use a
hole punch), or pasta shapes dyed in red/white/pink. Recipe - Dyed
Pasta Shapes
Bean Bag Toss
Cut a large (or two smaller) heart shaped holes in the front of a large
piece of cardboard or the front or top of a cardboard box. Decorate
in a valentine theme! Have the kids practice throwing bean bags into
the holes.
Sorting, Patterning, Colors and Numbers
Cut out many different sized hearts, in many colors (red, white, pink).
You may want to use card stock or laminating or apply clear contact paper
to your hearts. These activities could also be done on a felt board!
Activity #1 - Have the kids sort
the hearts from smallest to largest; largest to smallest.
Activity #2 - Number hearts from
1 - 10. Have them place the hearts in numerical order.
Activity#3 - Have the kids sort the hearts
by color. How many red hearts? Pink hearts? White hearts? Which
color has the most hearts? Which color has the least hearts?
Activity#4 - Give each child 6 colored
hearts (2 each of red, white & pink all the same size) Ask the
children to match patterns by color with their hearts....
Pattern#1 - red, white, pink, red, white,
pink
Pattern#2 - red, red, white, white, pink,
pink
Pattern#3 - red, white, white, red, pink,
pink
Activity#5 - Give each child 6 colored
hearts (2 each of 3 different sizes) Ask the children to match patterns
by size with their hearts...
Pattern#1 - small, medium, large, small,
medium, large
Pattern#2 - small, small, medium, medium,
large, large
Pattern#3 - small, large, medium, small,
large, medium
Scented Valentine Hearts
Paper
Glue or Stapler
Cotton Balls
Perfume
Cut out 2 large hearts the same size; decorate
as you wish. Spray perfume on cotton balls. Staple or glue around the edges
of hearts, leave an opening. Stuff the cotton balls inside. Seal the opening.
Decorate the outside of the hearts, if
you wish.
Coffee Can Valentine Mailbox
large coffee can
white fabric or felt
red print fabric (polka dots, hearts,
stripes, etc)
red felt
scissors
glue
3D fabric paint pens
Wash and dry can thoroughly. Glue white
fabric or felt to the outside of the coffee can. Cut out heart shapes from
the red print fabric and glue them to the white fabric or felt. Using the
3D fabric paint pens, outline each heart and write child's name on one
of the hearts.
Cut out a circle from the red felt so that
the felt overlaps the can lid. Glue red felt circle to the plastic lid.
While the glue is drying, fringe the edges of the felt with a pair of scissors.
When glue is dry, use a sharp pair of scissors or a matte knife to cut
a large slit in the top of the lid large enough for the Valentine cards.
Snap lid in place on top of the
can.
Songs, Finger Plays, Nursery Rhymes
What Color Are You Wearing?
< Suit actions to words. Repeat until most
of the common colors are used.
Leader says:
Red, red, red
Who is wearing red today?
Red, red, red, red,
Who is wearing red?
All children with
red showing say:
I am wearing red today.
Look at me and you will say
Red, red, red, red,
I am wearing red today.
If You're Wearing Red Today
Sung to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
When all are standing up, for a circle and play
another game!
If you're wearing red today,
Red today, red today,
If you're wearing red today,
Please stand up.
If you're wearing pink today,
Pink today, pink today,
...and so on.
Poems to put on your Valentine Cards:
Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
Sugar is sweet,
and so are you.
I think you are nice
I think you are fine,
Won't you please be my Valentine?
~~~~~~~~~
Love Somebody,
Yes I do,
Love Somebody,
Can you guess who?
I love you _______ (fill in the black)
Yes I do
I will love you this year,
And next year too!
Valentine's Day Recipes
Gelatin Hearts
The idea for these is based on the recipe for knox blocks. They
are great for kids snacks and they make a nice garnish for sweet salads
or desserts. Most kids love them!
2 1/2 cups of water or fruit juice
4 (3 oz) pkgs. strawberry, raspberry or cherry gelatin (can
use sugar free if desired).
Combine water and gelatin in 2 quart glass measure and heat on high
power in
microwave for 3-5 minutes or until the water is boiling. Stir until
gelatin is dissolved. Pour into heart shaped molds, or pour
in a 9 or 10 inch square pan and refrigerate until set. Unmold
heart shapes or use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut
out hearts.
Heart Sandwiches
Use large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut heart shapes into bread.
Spread with your favorite spread (raspberry, strawberry jam) and serve
as a special snack or part of a nutritious lunch. I have also added
red food coloring to deviled egg sandwich filling to make "pink" egg sandwiches!
Dyed Pasta Shapes
Green Food coloring
paper cups
water
uncooked pasta (any shape/size)
Dilute the food coloring in paper cups filled
with water. Put uncooked pasta in cups; let stand for several minutes
to half an hour. The longer the time, and the less water you use,
the darker the colors will be. Do not soak pasta for more than half
an hour or it may turn soggy.
Heart-Shaped Finger Jello
4 cups boiling water
4 envelopes Knox gelatin
3 (3 oz each) packages red jello
Mix Jello and gelatin. Add boiling water and stir until dissolved.
Pour liquid into a 10X15X1 pan (a cookie sheet with sides works great)
and refrigerate for several hours. When set, use a cookie cutter
to make heart shapes. Jello can be picked up with fingers.
Makes about 20
Brownie Hearts
1 stick butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups M&M's
Heart-shaped cookie cutters
Spray cooking spray into an 8-inch x 8-inch pan and preheat oven to
350ºF. Place butter and chocolate into saucepan over low heat and
melt. Stir to make smooth, set aside to cool, about 5 minutes. Add sugar
and vanilla, stir to incorporate. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring to
combine after each addition. Add the flour, stirring to mix thoroughly.
Add 1 cup of M&M's and stir to combine. Place into prepared pan, making
sure the mixture is level and smoothed. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup
M&M's onto the top. Place into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until
it tests done. Let cool completely and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Tip: Use leftover brownie pieces to top your favorite ice cream or mix
them into a milkshake.
Decorate Your Own Cupcake:
For a party idea, give each guest an undecorated cupcake. Provide pink
and white frosting and toppings such as colored sprinkles, red hot candies,
conversation heart candies, candy kisses, strawberries, and whipped cream.
Heart Sandwiches:
Make mini-heart sandwiches by cutting out bread hearts with a heart-shaped
cookie cutter. Make pink cream cheese by adding a few drops of red food
coloring to cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese on the bread. Decorate
with slivers of red pepper.
Make larger sandwiches by cutting the bread with a larger heart-shaped
cookie cutter. Fill the sandwiches with tuna salad, egg salad, or peanut
butter and jelly.
Fizzy Valentine Punch:
Mix 1 quart red fruit juice with 1 quart club soda. Add one maraschino
cherry or a strawberry to each cup.
Valentine Pizza:
Shape ready-made pizza dough into heart shapes. Spread with tomato
sauce, shredded cheeses, and whatever pizza toppings you like, and bake.
Valentine's Day Books
Special thanks to
for the wonderful graphics on this page.
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