Valentine Crafts For Little Ones

Want to make this Valentine's Day special for your kids? Here's a few things we've been doing to make it memorable around here...

• Stained glass cookies:
  Make up a batch of sugar cookies (or buy refrigerated dough). Put some red lifesavers or other hard candies in a Zip-lock bag and let your little ones hammer it with a wooden mallet. You may want to put an extra sheet of waxed paper or something over it. Crush or break until they're small pieces (they don't have to be dust) and you have 1/2 cup to a cup of candy (depending on the size of the recipe and how big your cut-outs are).
  
  Roll cookie dough and cut into heart shapes. Put on a foil-lined cookie sheet and cut a circle or heart out of the inside (a bottle top does a good job). Fill holes with crushed candies (level) and bake according to cookie instructions.
  
  
• Heart snowflakes:
  Give children pink and red crayons or paint and blank white paper. Tell them to fill the page with color in whatever patterns they want, both sides. Fold the page in half and cut a large heart shape out. Fold this many times and cut notches and shapes out like snowflakes (parents or older kids do this part). Tape to windows for a cheery display inside and out.
  
  
• Valentines suncatchers:
  Tint a bottle of white glue with some red food coloring till it's dark pink. Spread out waxed paper and draw heart shapes on it. Help your child pipe the glue onto the heart shapes (either filled in or not). When these dry they can be lifted off the waxed paper and hung in the window.
  
  
• Footprint cards:
  Make a heart shape by dipping little feet in white tempera paint and stamping onto red paper (the heels touch and V out to make the heart). Fold and decorate for loved ones.
  
  
• Face paints:
  Make the day extra special by painting hearts on everybody's cheeks. To make a safe face paint mix 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon water, 1/2 teaspoon cold cream and a few drops of red food coloring. Add a special touch by dressing everybody in pink and red, and tint white foods like pancakes or mashed potatoes pink to go over the top with it.

Happy Valentines Day!


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All works on this site Alicia Bayer unless otherwise noted.
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