L-O-V-E CANVAS PAINTING

My daughter and I created this art piece, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites! ❤️

• I used my Cricut machine to create the “L” and “E” stencils from freezer paper. If you don’t have a cutting machine, just print and cut the letters, then trace them onto your canvas. Place the shiny side of the freezer paper down on the canvas, press with a hot iron for a few seconds to seal it, and you’re ready to paint!
• For painting, use a flat foam brush and dab the paint (not brush) to avoid shifting the paper. Remove the paper immediately for clean edges.
• For the “O” apply a thick layer of paint to your child’s hand and stamp it on the canvas. Then, do footprints for the “V”—one of each foot works best.

Supplies: Canvas (I used a burlap canvas) – Cricut machine – freezer paper – foam brushes – paint (red, pink, white) – your kid’s adorable hands and feet!

Tips: Keep a warm washcloth or baby wipes handy for quick cleanups. Overlap the heels slightly for a polished “V.”

Spin-Off Idea: Use painter’s tape to create the L, O, V, and E. Let your kid paint freely, then peel off the tape for a fun surprise!

FOAM HEART PAINTING

Little A absolutely LOVED this project! To this day, shaving cream activities never fail to make her smile. The recipe is super simple—just 3 ingredients!

• I mixed equal parts shaving cream and Elmer’s glue until it reached the right consistency, then added red food coloring for a pretty pink.
• I cut hearts from red paper for her to paint, but you could also use red foam for a fun twist!

Supplies: Paper – Shaving Cream – Elmers Glue – Tray/Plate – Toddler Paint Brush – Food Coloring

HEART STENCIL PAINTING

We used heart-shaped cookie cutters with thicker sides—they’re easier for little hands to grab more paint than the metal ones.

• Spread different paint colors on a tray or plates.
• Let them dip the cookie cutters in the paint and stamp away on their paper!

Supplies: Paper – Red/Pink Paint – Heart Cookie Cutters – Paint Tray or Plate

Bonus Tips: Use the thick side of the cookie cutter for better paint coverage. Once dry, frame it for a sweet keepsake!

I LOVE YOU TO PIECES

A made a bunch of these and we mailed them to out-of-state family for a fun Valentine’s Day surprise!

• I tore up different colored and patterned papers in reds, pinks, and fun heart prints.
• Then, I put some Elmer’s glue on a plate and let her paint it inside a heart I drew on her paper.
• This project was from awhile ago, so I couldn’t track down the final photo, but I added “I Love You to Pieces” above and below the hearts in the last photo.

Supplies: Different Colored/Patterned Papers – Elmer’s Glue – Paint Brush – Sharpies

CARDBOARD ROLL HEART STAMPING

This was a fun, cute project that combined different art elements to create a lovely keepsake.

• I let the kids paint a colorful background with watercolors. Using special watercolor paper helps avoid wrinkles (like the standard paper in my example can’t handle).
• To make the hearts, I bent a couple of toilet paper rolls into heart shapes, taped them, and then poured red, pink, and purple paint on a plate for them to create their masterpieces.

Supplies: Watercolor Paint Set- 48 Colors or Crayola Watercolor Paints – Watercolor Paper – Toilet or Paper Towel Rolls – Tape or Rubber Band – Paint Brushes – Paint for Hearts

LOVELY NECKLACES

This is a great hand-eye coordination activity—even K had fun with it! He enjoyed the challenge of stringing small beads. I found a divided tray at the dollar store, which was perfect for organizing all their supplies.

• Place beads, cut-up paper straws, and other items in a divided tray.
• Tie one end of the string to prevent them from pushing everything off.
• Once they’ve strung their beads, tie the ends together to make a necklace.

Supplies: String – Cut Up Straws – Beads – Tape – Divided Tray

Bonus Tip: If your string frays (like ours), tape the end tightly to prevent it from unraveling. Keep the tape small so it doesn’t make threading smaller beads harder.

LOVELY COLLAGE ART

This might be one of A’s favorite ways to make art—it’s just like the “Cut and Color Table” at her school, with lots of materials to create whatever she wants.

• Easy steps here, just place the different supplies into a divided try and let their creative juices flow and create whatever their minds come up with.

Supplies: Card Stock Paper (reg works also) – Paint – Paint Brushes – Misc supplies (small foam hearts, plus we cut up lace dollies and tissue paper to make hearts)

Related: Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Her

CANDY HEART CONSTRUCTION

I’m not sure if they had more fun building or eating—they were pretty tasty! Together, we made a tower, lollipop palace, airplane, and helicopter.

• Insert toothpicks into jelly candies to create different objects.
• Eat create works of art 😉

Supplies: Jelly Candy Hearts – Toothpicks

VALENTINE WINDSOCKS

This was a fun gift for an Oma who loves windsocks! I cleaned and checked the cans carefully—be sure to check for sharp edges before use.

• After removing the top and bottom lids, I soaked the cans to remove the labels.
• Using a divided tray, I provided paint and decorations for them.
• Once the cans dried, we taped streamers inside for the bottom and added string on top for hanging.

Supplies: Cans – Paint – Streamers – Decorations – String – Packing tape

Bonus Tip: Use strong tape, at least on the string so it doesn’t fall off. We used heavy duty packing tape on ours.

TISSUE PAPER STAINED GLASS WINDOW ART

• Cut large hearts from red paper and remove the center to create a “frame.” Stick them onto contact paper.
• Let them decorate the sticky area with small tissue paper pieces (cut or ripped). Once done, cover the back with another layer of contact paper to seal it.
• Hang or tape them to windows to enjoy their new “stained glass” decorations!

Supplies: Contact Paper – Tissue Paper – Craft Paper – Scotch Tape

WRITING TRAY

This activity is great for building letter/number recognition and practicing writing skills. Plus, it’s relaxing and has a zen garden vibe.

• Fill a deep tray with sugar and sprinkles.
• Write alphabet letters and numbers 1-10 on small foam hearts. Let them pick one and stick it in the “sand.”
• Then, let them practice writing with their finger in the mixture.

Supplies: Sugar – Sprinkles – Tray/Plate – Letter/Number Hearts (You can create these in many different ways. I wrote on foam hearts with a Sharpie).

Bonus Tip: Turn it into a game and have them build words and names to practice more than one letter at a time.

SENSORY BIN OF LOVE

Sensory bins offer endless combinations! We LOVE this sensory table or you can use a container. Just swap out the contents for different holidays and themes. Keep a close eye during play, to prevent choking hazards with little ones.

• For this sensory bin, I died rice to red and pink by stirring in food dye with a bowl of white rice until I got the colors I wanted.
• I added acrylic hearts, feathers, fine motor skill tools and red hot candies.
• We also added a few drops of Strawberry Essential Oil.

Supplies: Sensory Table – or container – Rice – Food Coloring – Strawberry Essential Oil – Acrylic Hearts – Feathers – Tools

YARN WRAPPED HEARTS

• Cut hearts from cardboard – putting all those Amzon boxes to good use 😉
• For variety, cut out the centers of some and leave others full.
• Wrap yarn around until they’re nicely covered, then hang and enjoy!

Supplies: Cardboard – Yarn – Scissors

HEART HOPSCOTCH

This was such a fun outdoor activity when we got lucky with some warmer weather! But no worries if you can’t go outside—you can totally bring the fun indoors too!.

• We cut a poster board into 6 equal sqaures using two different colors.
• Then folded each sqaure in half to cut the biggest heart out we could
• Using fun sharpie colors, we wrote the numbers on the hearts (you could paint them too, if you have time to wait for them to dry).
• We laid them on the sidewalk, but if you’re indoors, tape them down on hard flooring to keep them in place.

Spin-Off Idea: Get creative and decorate each heart before the game for a fun art twist! Or, if you’re outside, grab some chalk and draw heart-shaped spots for a hopscotch challenge!

Supplies: Paper – Sharpies – Tape – Scissors

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Let the craft fun begin—enjoy these awesome activities with your little love bugs and make this day extra special! 💘