In the beginning years of daycare, I designed my children’s Valentine’s Day cards after many hours of research on Pinterest. It seemed easiest to equip my kids with printed postcards that invoked some pun. When the kids get older and possess the skill to write their name, it is about the same time they develop opinions.
Last year, we threw our hands in the air, threw some dollars on the counter at the local shop, and walked out with the standard Valentine’s Day cards. Valentine’s Day is a chore when you are a parent. Lacking in significant substance, I still want to have fun with this day but struggle because every day we should demonstrate love and kindness to each other. To switch things up, we decided to let my kids’ creativity shine while encouraging them to perfect their writing skills. The inspiration was my own childhood when you made cards.
The beauty of these cards is that the basic premise can be modified to make thank you cards. It is a simple concept and for preschool kids I do recommend breaking this project up over a week as their hands will get tired as much as their attention may stray.
What You Will Need
- Paper
- Watercolors Paints
- Paint Brushes
- Greetings Cards or Cardstock cut in size of Postcards
- Heart Cutter
- Glue Stick
How to Make This Project
We rolled out a massive blank roll of paper and let the kids paint to their heart’s content. If you are concerned that your child will mix all the paint and turn the cards brown, then you can ask them to focus on using three or four colors. After an afternoon of painting, we let the paper dry.
The next day we demonstrated how to use the heart paper-cutter. They cut out 40-50 hearts. While they used significantly less, I think the leftovers will be used for Thank You cards.
The following day we showed each child how to glue the hearts on the greeting cards. Since they each had 24 cards to glue we let that be another afternoon project. We asked our children what they wanted the cards to say. My daughter said, “I like my friends, they are nice.” My son wanted his cards to say, “Be Nice to Your Friends.” We are going to have these printed in case my children get too tired to write all the cards out which is very likely since they are still learning to write.
With the cards dry, we did have the kids write their names on the cards. We wrote out each thing they wanted the card to say so that they could copy it in the cards. When they were tired, we glued the printed statements in the card.
I love this project for several reasons. My children were left to be creative as they painted the paper, cut the hearts and when they placed the hearts on the cards. They were especially proud of their creations which still reflected each of their personalities. I enjoyed that we broke this project down that a little bit was completed each day. They also worked on their fine motor skills, writing skills and visual spatial skills. Also, since we used supplies we already owned and purchased the cards on clearance, the total cost of Valentine’s Day cards for two children was less than $5!
I suggest inviting your children to make an extra card to send to a grandparent, godparent or close family member. They will cherish the kind gesture and the card may even find a home in a frame or on the fridge.
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