Our family has always preferred making gifts or planning fun experiences rather than running out to buy more stuff. Honestly, how many knickknacks do you really need? Instead, we love rolling up our sleeves, getting creative, and having a blast weird things.
The best part about these projects is that they mostly rely on simple everyday basics you probably already have stashed around the house, plus a few cheap Amazon essentials to keep in your craft closet.
Here are 20 super fun, kid-friendly Valentine’s Day craft projects complete with quick instructions and easy material links to get your family crafting together!
1. Fingerprint Heart Keepsake Tree
1. Fingerprint Heart Keepsake TreeWhat it is: A sweet painted canvas where your child’s colorful fingerprints form the bright heart-shaped leaves of a tree.
Supply Check: Washable Acrylic Paint & Blank Canvas Panels
Instructions: Use a brown marker or brown paint to sketch a simple bare tree trunk with a few branches in the center of the canvas. Have your kids dip their fingertips into pink, red, and purple paints and press them all around the branches to create an explosion of heart-shaped leaves.
2. Suncatcher Tissue Paper Hearts
What it is: A stained-glass window display that catches the morning light using bright contact paper and tissue paper squares.
Supply Check: Clear Contact Paper & Valentine Tissue Paper Squares
Instructions: Cut a large heart frame out of black construction paper. Place the frame onto a sticky sheet of clear contact paper. Let your kids layer different colored tissue paper squares inside the frame until it’s filled. Seal the back with another sheet of contact paper, trim the edges, and tape it to a sunny window!
3. Cardboard Roll Heart Stamps
What it is: A clever upcycling hack that shapes everyday toilet paper tubes into custom heart-shaped paint stampers.
Supply Check: Washable Paint Set & White Cardstock Paper
Instructions: Take an empty cardboard toilet paper roll and pinch it right down the middle along one side to create an indoor indentation. Secure a piece of tape around it to lock it into a perfect heart shape. Dip the end of the roll into a paper plate of paint and let your kids stamp out patterns on cardstock to make custom wrapping paper.
4. Pipe Cleaner Heart Bubble Wands
What it is: A fun craft that transforms vibrant chenille stems into heart-shaped wands that actually blow bubbles.
Supply Check: Valentine Chenille Pipe Cleaners & Assorted Plastic Pony Beads
Instructions: Take one pipe cleaner and bend the center into a classic heart outline, twisting the ends at the bottom to close it. Leave the straight tail pieces pointing down, and let your kids slide pony beads up the stem to form a sturdy, decorative handle. Dip the heart end into bubble solution for holiday outdoor fun!
5. Clothespin “I Love You” Secret Messages
What it is: A playful wooden clip craft that reveals a hidden pop-up love message when you pinch it open.
Supply Check: Wooden Clothespins & All-Purpose Craft Glue
Instructions: Cut a small paper heart directly in half. Glue the top half of the heart to the top jaw of the clothespin and the bottom half to the lower jaw. Glue a small paper strip with the words “I Love You” written on it to the *backside* of the clothespin. When the clip is closed, it’s just a heart; squeeze it open, and the secret note pops up!
6. Mason Jar Heart Votive Holders
What it is: Cozy, glowing room decorations made by masking shapes onto glass jars and painting over them.
Supply Check: Glass Mason Jars & Battery Operated LED Tea Lights
Instructions: Cut out a heart shape from a piece of painters tape or a sticker and press it firmly onto the center of a clean glass mason jar. Let the kids paint the entire outside of the jar using chalk paint or acrylics. Once the paint is completely dry, carefully peel away the tape sticker to reveal a perfect see-through heart window. Pop an LED tea light inside!
7. Yarn-Wrapped Cardboard Hearts
What it is: A tactile, motor-skill building activity where kids wrap colorful yarn around thick cardboard cutouts.
Supply Check: Pink and Red Chunky Yarn
Instructions: Cut out basic heart shapes from an old shipping box or heavy cardstock. Tape the beginning end of a long strand of pink or red yarn to the back of the cardboard. Show your kids how to loop and wrap the yarn around the cardboard frame in all different directions until the brown cardboard is completely hidden. Tie off the end!
8. Paper Plate Loving Heart Animals
What it is: Creative animals (like foxes, pandas, or birds) built entirely out of a paper plate base and construction paper hearts.
Supply Check: White Paper Plates & Assorted Construction Paper Pack
Instructions: Paint a paper plate a base color (like pink or red). Cut out various sizes of construction paper hearts. Cool tip: Two large hearts upside down make perfect ears, a medium heart makes a nose, and tiny sideways hearts make adorable feet! Glue the pieces onto the plate to bring your love-bug animal to life.
9. Popsicle Stick Love-Bug Picture Frames
What it is: A custom wooden frame to showcase a family photo, decorated with shiny jewels and markers.
Supply Check: Wooden Craft Sticks & Self-Adhesive Craft Rhinestones
Instructions: Glue four popsicle sticks together at the corners to make a square frame (let kids paint them first!). Glue a piece of cardboard or cardstock to the back, leaving the top open to slide a photo in. Let the kids decorate the front borders with glitter, markers, and self-adhesive rhinestones.
10. Mosaic Foam-Heart Greeting Cards
What it is: Vibrant, textured greeting cards decorated with broken-up mosaic patterns using soft craft foam.
Supply Check: Glitter Foam Sheets & Blank Cards and Envelopes
Instructions: Draw a large pencil outline of a heart on the front of a folded card. Cut different colored glitter foam sheets into small, random geometric mosaic tiles. Let your kids practice puzzle-solving by gluing the foam pieces down inside the pencil heart border, leaving tiny gaps between each piece like real stained glass.
11. Celery Stalk Rose Stamps
What it is: A fascinating printmaking technique where the base of a common vegetable bunch prints a perfect floral rose pattern.
Supply Check: Premium Acrylic Paints & Mixed Media Art Paper
Instructions: Cut the bottom base off a bunch of celery, about 3 inches from the root end. The cross-section naturally looks exactly like a rose! Have your kids press the celery root firmly into red or dark pink paint, then press it onto paper. Paint some simple green stems below it for a gorgeous handmade card.
12. Bleeding Tissue Paper Hearts
What it is: A cool art tip that transfers ink from wet special paper onto a canvas for a stunning tie-dye effect.
Supply Check: Bleeding Tissue Paper Sheets & Blank Canvas Boards
Instructions: Cut bleeding tissue paper (it must be labeled “bleeding” for this to work!) into small heart shapes. Have your child paint water over a blank canvas board, place the tissue paper hearts down on the wet canvas, and paint more water over the top. Let it sit for 20 minutes, peel the dry paper away, and see the beautiful ink colors left behind!
13. Woven Paper Heart Baskets
What it is: A classic Scandinavian holiday craft where two paper pieces weave together to create a usable pouch for candies.
Supply Check: Heavy Colored Cardstock & Kids Safety Scissors
Instructions: Cut two U-shaped paper strips out of contrasting colors, cutting three long slits up the straight edge of each piece. Turn them sideways and show your kids how to weave the loops over and under each other. Once fully woven, it forms a secure heart pouch you can hang up and fill with treats.
14. Puzzle-Piece “Love You to Pieces” Sign
What it is: A money-saving hack for upcycling old board games into a sentimental picture frame border or sign.
Supply Check: Red Gloss Spray Paint & Thick Craft Chipboard
Instructions: Take pieces from an old puzzle that is missing parts and paint them solid red or pink (spray paint works fast here for parents!). Cut a heavy cardboard base, glue a family photo to the middle, and let the kids layer and glue the painted puzzle pieces around the border. Write “Love you to pieces” along the top!
15. Handprint Heart Salt Dough Ornaments
What it is: A classic baking craft that preserves your child’s handprint size inside a hardened clay ornament.
Supply Check: Flour, Salt, and Mod Podge Gloss Sealer
Instructions: Mix 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1 cup of water to roll out a smooth dough. Cut a large heart shape, and press your child’s hand firmly into the center. Poke a hole at the top with a straw for hanging, bake at 250°F for 2 hours, and let them paint it once cool. Seal it with Mod Podge to keep it forever!
16. Shake-Up Glitter Sensory Heart Jars
What it is: A calming, mesmerizing liquid jar packed with swirling glitter hearts and confetti scales.
Supply Check: Clear Plastic Sensory Jars & Heart Glitter Confetti Pack
Instructions: Fill a plastic jar halfway with warm water, add a bottle of clear school glue, and stir thoroughly. Let your kids dump in loads of heart-shaped glitter and Valentine confetti. Fill the rest with water, superglue the lid shut securely, and let your kids shake it up to watch the shiny hearts slowly cascade down.
17. Coffee Filter Watercolor Hearts
What it is: A brilliant, colorful craft that diffuses vibrant water markers into abstract tie-dye designs.
Supply Check: White Basket Coffee Filters & Washable Markers
Instructions: Cut standard coffee filters into large heart shapes. Let your kids color the hearts completely with washable markers using dots, stripes, or patterns. Once colored, use a misting spray bottle to lightly spray water over the filter. Watch the ink instantly bleed and blend together beautifully. Lay flat to dry!
18. Paper Loop Valentine Wreath
What it is: A beautiful 3D holiday front door decoration built out of curled paper strips stapled into heart shapes.
Supply Check: Red and Pink Cardstock Strip Packs & Mini Craft Stapler
Instructions: Cut cardstock into 1-inch wide strips. Fold a strip in half, then curve the two loose top ends downward toward the center fold and staple them together at the bottom to form a hollow heart loop. Make 10 to 12 of these, then staple the side edges of the hearts together in a circle to form a gorgeous 3D wreath!
19. Scrape-Paint Valentine Hearts
What it is: A super satisfying abstract art trick where you drag paint across cardstock using an old gift card.
Supply Check: Thick White Cardstock & Acrylic Craft Paint
Instructions: Place a few tiny drops of red, white, and pink paint along the very top edge of a heavy cardstock page. Take an old plastic store gift card or a piece of heavy cardboard, hold it at an angle, and scrape the paint straight down the page in one smooth motion. Once the beautiful rainbow streaks dry, cut out hearts from the page.
20. Heart-Shaped Paper Bead Bracelets
What it is: A delicate jewelry-making craft where kids roll triangular paper strips around straws to build custom beads.
Supply Check: Elastic Bracelet Cord & Washable Glue Sticks
Instructions: Cut long, skinny triangles out of decorative pink holiday paper or magazines. Show your child how to tightly roll the wide end of the triangle around a plastic straw, running a glue stick down the paper strip as they roll it upward toward the point. Once dry, slide the rolled paper beads off the straw and string them onto elastic cord for custom holiday jewelry!
