Valentine’s Day can be hit or miss. Either you love it and celebrating all it represents, or you think of it as just another day. No matter your perspective, there’s one thing we can agree on – trying new activities with our kids is always a win.
These festive crafts and recipes are sure to keep the kids engaged, having fun and celebrating love this Valentine’s season. And they’re awesome projects for those chilly winter afternoons and weekends spent inside.
Gather your supplies and get creative!
Fingerprint Tree
This Fingerprint Tree is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to give the grandparents or to use as a card for someone in your family. It’s an easy (and adorable!) activity to do with the kids after school or over the weekend. You just need a few supplies and some fingers ready to get messy.
Supplies:
- 8.5 x 11-inch white paper
- Black or brown marker
- Pink and red washable paint or pink and red stamp pad
- Paper towels
With an 8.5 x 11-inch piece of white paper, use a black or brown marker to draw a tree trunk with branches. You can get as artistic as you want; let your creative juices flow!
Next, take the pink and red washable finger paint (or a stamp pad) and have each child dip a finger with a slight amount of pressure. Assist your young ones when needed but be careful to not press down too hard in order to avoid excess drips. Stamp the paint- or ink-covered fingers onto the paper around the branches. Repeat the process until you make a heart-shaped tree.
After your kids are happy with their work, wipe off their hands, and let the masterpiece dry for 10 minutes. Hang the artwork on the fridge or give it as a sweet Valentine’s Day gift.
Love Bug
Assist your kids in creating their own little bee for some super cute Valentine’s Day décor!
Supplies:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Yellow Paint
- Googly eyes
- Pipe cleaners
- Construction paper
- Craft glue
- Markers
- Scissors
- Pom poms
Prepare your cardboard tubes by painting them yellow and then allowing them to dry. Once dry, take your black marker and color 3 stripes across the body of the bee. Next, we recommend that the supervising adult poke one hole with a pair of scissors on each side of the cardboard tube. This is where the pipe cleaners will turn into legs, so you want to make sure they’re relatively even. Next, cut your black pipe cleaner into two sections approximately 4 inches long. Thread the pipe cleaners through the holes, and you’ll have little bug legs!
For the wings, fold a red piece of construction paper in half, and draw a medium-sized heart, cutting through the folded paper to make two wings–one for each side. Use a black marker to create a personalized design on each wing. Place a drop of craft glue at the point of each wing and attach to the back side of the toilet paper role. Be sure to place toward the middle of the body, so your wings appear centered.
Finally, cut two additional black pipe cleaners into strips approximately 4 inches long. Place craft glue on one end of each pipe cleaner and place just inside the opening at the top of the bee’s head. Finish your bee-autiful creation by placing a drop of craft glue on the back of each googly eye and on a pom pom and placing on the face. Let your love bug dry for 30 minutes before taking it out to play. Place your cute little bee around your home or in your child’s room as festive Valentine’s Day décor.
Baked Goods
If you or your kiddos are more chefs than artists, try these sweet treats for a fun Valentine’s Day activity. For classic crowd-pleasers, bake this yummy chocolate chip cookies recipe or this honey brownies recipe. Or, for a richer treat, make some delicious raw honey fudge. You can’t go wrong with chocolate.
Enjoy getting in the Valentine’s Day spirit with these creative activities with the kids! You’ll be celebrating the holiday just by spending time with your little love bugs.
For ideas on how to celebrate with your honey, check out “No-Stress Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day.”
