When it comes to the holidays my kids are always looking for fun themed crafts to do. It might be Christmas or New Year’s or even the Fourth of July, but they will insist we do something fun to celebrate it together. Valentine’s Day is no different. Though it started out as a day for lovers it has become a fun tradition for kids to give out Valentine’s cards to their friends and family, and do not forget all those kids in their class! With that in mind here are some of our favorite and affordable Valentine’s Day craft activities:

1.  Crayon Heart Rainbows –Trying to avoid candy and still help my kids make something fun for Valentine’s Day giveaways, we discovered this gem of an idea. Instead of throwing out all those broken bits and pieces of Crayons in our playroom we gathered them together and removed the paper bits. After they are all clean and ready to melt we distributed them evenly in a silicone baking tray with heart shapes. Each little heart had enough Crayon so that when it melted it would form a sturdy coloring rainbow! I put the tray into the oven for a few minutes on 375 until the Crayons had melted completely. No sense having hunks of colors sticking out. Then before it cooled and hardened I slipped in a piece of yarn (string or curling ribbon would work as well) to attach name tags or greeting cards. After the melted hearts had cooled, my kids and I sat down to come up with fun things to say like “You color my world” or “You make life colorful”. The kids love to color with the rainbow hearts too because they never know what color they will get.

2.  Diamond Kiss Rings –If you want the kids to feel like royalty and still have a bit of candy to give out then this idea is for you. All you need are some Hershey’s Kisses candy (I like silver) and some of those fuzzy pipe cleaners (I like gold or red). Start out with two pipe cleaners. Form them into an X shape and place the Kiss bottom down on the center of the X. Then wrap the pipe cleaners up around to hold the Kiss like it is a jewel. Twist in the center so that it does not fall out and then form the rest of the pipe cleaner into a ring. Twisting around your own finger is easiest. There you have it! Diamond rings for kids to give away and eat. Add name tags and cute saying for a different take on the day of love.

3.  Button and Heart Bracelet – This is an easy and fun activity for even very young children, with help of course. I am just a sucker for anything with buttons on it. In this easy to do craft all you need is some yarn or ribbon and red or pink construction paper. And of course the buttons! You can also use some of that thin foam stuff so that it will hold up longer. Have the kids cut out a heart shape that will fit on their wrist. Then punch holes in the sides and thread through the yarn. Cover the holes with the buttons and voila, instant bracelets! You can have the kids write their names on the hearts and even decorate it with stickers, glitter, or drawings. They can make these as gifts too, with personalized hearts for everyone. You can even layer the hearts to create cute designs, like pink and red or red and white.

4.  Hand Me a Lollipop Card –This is a fun craft for kids to give away to friends and family. It will require a little preparation though. First, take a picture of your child with him holding his fist close to the camera and smiling. Then print out the photos and cut a small hole in the center of his hand. Have the kids place a lollipop stick through the hole and it will look like they are handing the candy treat out! How cute is that? You can add a fun caption to the photo or let the kids write a personal message on the back of the photo. I think it looks better with the little Dum-dum pops, but whatever you can find will work. You can even do it with mints or Tootsie Rolls by stapling the edge of the wrapper to the photo instead.

5.  Heart Attack Box – This cute idea is one that would be great for the kids to give to Dad or the grandparents. Essentially you get a small box and fill it with paper hearts (red and pink). Each heart has something nice about the person written on it. This would make your children sit down and really think about what they appreciate about that person. Maybe they could write something like “takes me to the park”, “plays ball with me”, or “shares his ice cream”. Small children could just draw pictures to illustrate the things. This is a great way to encourage thoughtfulness and have fun watching the person pull out one heart after another and read them all. It will probably make everyone tear up (or maybe I am just sappy like that).

6.  Valentine Mail Box – I remember making Valentine’s mail boxes at school when I was little. We would bring a small box, whatever we had at home, and then cover it with red or pink construction paper. After it was covered we could decorate the box with our name and things we loved. It is kind of a mixture of Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, but it makes for a fun way for the kids to keep track of all those Valentine’s Day gifts and cards they got. Cut a slot in the top for the cards to drop into and make sure you leave a way to open the box without ripping it apart. Who does not like to open mail, right?

7.  Book Marks–This easy gift idea is free and only requires a trip to your local hardware or paint store. You know all those paint sample strips? Those racks and racks that they have over by the buckets of paint? Well, those are free and fun to use in crafts. Get yourself a handful of shades of red and pink and a heart shaped hole punch. In each of the paint color sections punch a hole and make sure you punch one on the very top too. Collect the heart shaped confetti to use in a card later. Then thread a piece of red or pink yarn or ribbon through the top hole. Voila- an instant Valentine’s Day book mark for you or your kids to give away. It is so cute and easy to make.

8.  Heart Stamping –Kids love to stamp, but why waste money on buying stamps for them to use. Instead, make your own heart shaped stamp out of an empty toilet paper roll. First bend the roll lengthwise down the middle (like a hot dog) until the ends form a heart shape. Then tape it into place with some clear tape. Get out the red and pink finger paints and thin them out a bit or use a red stamp pad. Have the kids go wild and decorate a white piece of paper with their heart stamps. They can even write the person’s name on the paper first and then create a ring or heart of hearts around the name. Kids love to stamp and will have a blast crafting their artistic creation.

9.  Glitter Heart Pins– Wearing your crafts is something that most kids love to do. Playing with glue and glitter is another big draw. Combine the best of both worlds with this fun Valentine’s Day activity. Have the kids cut out a heart shape out of sturdy paper. Then glue, tape or even staple a safety pin to the top back of the heart. The kids can go crazy decorating their heart in glitter, glue, stickers or whatever they would like. They can even make heart name tags. After their creation dries they can pin their heart to their shirt and wear it proudly.

10.  Stained Glass Hearts – This is a great craft for even very small children. All you need is thin white paper, like printer paper, and red or pink finger paints. Thin out the paints a little so that they will dry somewhat transparently. Then have the kids cut a heart shape out of the white paper and go crazy smearing the paint in fun patterns all over it. Let it dry and then hang it in the window for the sun to some through. You could even do a heart mobile or wind catcher with the same idea if you would like.

These are just a few of the fun Valentine’s Day crafts that you can do with your kids. All of them are easy and affordable so there is no reason to dawdle. Have fun and enjoy the holiday of love with your children!

About the Author:

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of www.liveinnanny.com.She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

Other DIY Valentine Ideas:

• Vanilla Chex Mix {recipe}
• Strawberry Blueberry Ricotta Pancake Cake
• Fabric Scrap Heart Wreath