Valentine’s Day is this week somehow. January 2020 seems to have been equal parts the longest and shortest month in a long time. If you need some last-minute Valentine’s gift idea inspirations just for the kids, here are some sweet ideas.
Both Hudson and Skyler are now at an age where they love participating in crafts and DIY projects, so most of these ideas are projects which you can easily do together. Just last week, we all helped make Skyler a birthday banner to take to her 6th birthday party and they got so into it. Of course if your kids are very young, be sure to choose something that you don’t mind finishing for them (at least, that’s my experience). But whether you are just making them with your kids, for your kids, or for them to take to their classmates in school, the whole process can be a fun family activity.
What matters to me is that they feel excited about making and delivering their valentines gifts more than about the ones they get. The cute factor, the clever puns… that’s probably more for me or the grown-up trying to read them aloud beside them. At least for now.
Still, here are seven really cute ideas (including a few punny ones)…
1. An origami heart project
It may take some time figuring out how to make the first few, but once you get the hang of it these should be fairly easy. Add a little customization to each and you’ve got yourself adorable and original Valentines’ cards. (Hudson actually chose this one and made 22 paper hearts and wrote inside each and every one. He’s counting down the days, now.
2. Photo prints
For a few years, I would take a photo of the kids and we’d use an app like Canva or Over to add text and little doodles to it and then go to a kiosk at the drugstore or Target to have them printed out. When the kids were old enough to write their own name, that became their job. One year we taped dum-dum lollipops to them. Another year we used fingerlights—which kids go nuts for! And yet another it was sticky hands.
I know very few children out there who wouldn’t love receiving candy, but personalized candy is a whole other level! Think of candies with small (harder) surfaces on which you can paste stickers—like Tic Tacs or Lifesavers. Amy at The Idea Room has the printable.
4. Valentine printables
These “Wild About You” valentine printables by Sarah M Style are one of my favorites. We’re a big fan of attaching those little plastic animal figures to things around here (case in point).
And Mer Mag’s pirate printables are adorable. She stitched little felt hearts on—and then sewed a little bag of candy to the back of each, but I’m thinking you could also go the route of washi tape and SweetTarts. (I’m just looking for an excuse to buy a bag of those for myself.)
5. Superhero pops
I think these Superhero pops are adorable. I do have a sinking suspicion, however, that I’d end up doing an assembly line all by myself after the kids go to bed—with an x-acto knife and a glue gun. Hmmm.
6. Friendship bracelets
You can get fancy with this idea and make intricate friendship bracelets with your kids (you can find some patterns on You Tube) for their closest friends—or for them. You can also make very simple ones with a cuter strip of ribbon and a small plastic heart strung on. This project can adjust to your time & needs. It works great for both boys and girls as you can choose different colored string, ribbons, and hearts/plastic beads.
7. Heart shaped pancakes (with a bonus)
If you are just looking to make a regular day feel a little more special, you can surprise your kids with heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. (Just make the shape yourself on the griddle—it’s very easy—or use a mold). If you are feeling fancy, add a drop of red food-dye to the batter and swirl it around! You don’t need heart shaped cookie shapes for this, you can simply cut hearts out of the pancakes with a little knife. Bonus points for heart shaped sprinkles on top! I’m sure mine would also really love making these together.
And finally, sometimes you also just need to take the kids to Target or your local bookstore and pick up a box of pre-made valentines. Go easy on yourself, because picking these out can still be really fun for the kids. Last year we discovered these Peaceable Kingdom ones (also carried at our bookstore) and the kids really got into assembling them.
Do you bring Valentines to your child’s class? What are the rules? At what age do kids really start to look forward to giving and getting them? I have very fond memories of gluing doilies to red and pink construction paper hearts and bringing decorated shoe boxes to school.
P.S. A more grown-up Valentine’s gift guide.
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