Help Your Kids Spread the Love with These 3 Valentine’s Day Gifts
When February arrives, there’s a little extra love in the air—that’s because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.
This holiday takes place on February 14 and is observed in countries around the world, including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Mexico, France, and South Korea. No matter where you are, Valentine’s Day celebrates love in all forms, from sweetheart romances to friendships to family bonds.
On Valentine’s Day, it’s common for people to exchange gifts—including candy, greeting cards, and flowers—with those close to their hearts. Help your children join in on the fun with these Valentine’s gift ideas for kids. It’s time to get crafting!
Share Some Love on Valentine’s Day
Your kids have a lot of special people in their lives, from grandparents and siblings to teachers and friends. Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for children to show their love and appreciation for these special people—and the best gifts are the ones young crafters make themselves.
A Valentine’s Day present can be anything from a handwritten card to a tasty baked good (like these chocolate crunchies, courtesy of South Africa). Help your children create the perfect gift by adding meaningful touches for their loved ones. It’s the little things, like making a card in Grandma’s favorite color or creating a paper version of a friend’s favorite flower, that help kids express how much they care.
Need some Valentine’s Day inspiration? We have a few gift ideas to spark your children’s imaginations.
Three Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Kids
3D Heart Valentine’s Day Card
People send a lot of cards on Valentine’s Day—in the United States alone, over 145 million cards are delivered each year! But thanks to this craft, your kids’ DIY valentines will (literally) pop out from the crowd.
Kids can perform each step of this craft with supervision, but an adult may need to help younger children when necessary.
Materials
- Construction paper (6 different colors)
- Nontoxic glue
- Child-safe scissors
Directions
- Fold 6 sheets of construction paper in half. Use a pencil to draw half of a heart shape approximately 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) tall along the fold of 1 of the sheets of paper. (We recommend using a stencil to achieve uniform size and shape.)
- Cut along the half-heart shape with scissors. Now you will have a symmetrical paper heart.
- Repeat steps 1–2 with 4 of the 5 remaining sheets of paper. When complete, you should have 5 hearts and 1 folded piece of paper. The intact sheet will serve as the card.
- Fold the paper hearts in half along the vertical crease through the center. Glue the left half of 1 heart to the front of the card. Fold the heart along the vertical crease so the unglued right half overlaps with the glued half. Next, glue the top side of the right half to the left half of a second paper heart so the shapes align.
- Repeat step 4 with the remaining paper hearts until all 5 are attached together. Glue the right half of the fifth heart to the card to finish the 3D shape.
- Allow the glue to dry, then write a sweet note inside the card!
Paper Heart Hot Air Balloon
Love can make you feel like you’re floating on air. Help your children express this feeling with a unique Valentine’s gift idea! Kids can give this stunning heart balloon as a valentine or use it as adorable Valentine’s Day decor.
Kids can perform each step of this craft with supervision, but an adult may need to help younger children when necessary.
Materials
- Construction paper (3 red, 3 pink, 1 blue)
- Colored pencils
- 2 wooden craft sticks
- Nontoxic glue
- Child-safe scissors
Directions
- Fold the pink and red sheets of paper in half. Draw half a heart shape approximately 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) tall on the 6 folded sheets. (We recommend using a stencil to achieve uniform size and shape.)
- Cut out the hearts using scissors. Now you will have 6 symmetrical paper hearts.
- Fold each of the paper hearts in half along the vertical crease through the center. Begin with a red heart, folding it along the crease so the halves overlap. Fold a pink heart in half and form the same shape. Glue the folded red heart’s top side to the pink heart’s bottom side so the shapes align.
- Repeat step 2 with the remaining hearts, alternating between red and pink. The hearts should fan out into a circle when complete. Glue the final 2 sides together to secure the shape of the hot air balloon.
- Glue the wooden craft sticks inside the circle of hearts behind the folds in the first and third hearts. The sticks will act as the cables of the hot air balloon and should have half of the heart circle on either side.
- Fold the blue paper in half and cut out a small rectangle approximately 2 inches (5 centimeters) tall and 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) wide along the folded edge. Keep the folded edge intact so the rectangle opens like a book. This is the balloon’s basket.
- Glue the bottom quarter of the wooden sticks to the back of the folded rectangle. Allow the glue to dry, then use colored pencils to decorate the balloon and write a message in the basket. It’s ready to send!
Homemade Crayons
Making this easy Valentine’s gift is a delightful activity that’s equal parts simple, practical, and fun—not to mention a way to reuse broken crayons. You can customize this gift by mixing colors and using uniquely shaped molds.
Materials
- Broken crayons (assorted colors)
- Silicone baking mold with fun shapes (arrows, flowers, hearts, etc.)
Directions
- An adult preheats the oven to 300℉ (150℃). While it heats up, completely remove paper labels or wrapping from the crayons.
- Kids break each crayon into pieces smaller than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters), then place them into the silicone baking mold. They can use only one color in the mold or mix colors for a marbled effect.
- An adult places the mold on a baking sheet and bakes for about 8 minutes or until the crayons are completely melted. Next, an adult removes the baking sheet from the oven and sets it aside to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the silicone mold to the freezer for 30 minutes more.
- Kids carefully remove each crayon from the mold. Gift to a valentine with a cute card (like these free printables from Little Passports).
Say “I Love You” with a Special Activity
These DIY Valentine’s gifts for kids can help them flex their creative muscles while making valentines their loved ones are sure to cherish. A sweet gift made with love is the perfect way for your kids to say “Happy Valentine’s Day” to the people they care about.
And once they’re in the crafting mood, your children can keep creating with other fun Valentine’s Day DIYs! Practice origami and make a beautiful paper heart, or decorate your home with a homemade heart-shaped garland.
If you prefer the convenience of ready-to-go crafts, check out these awesome activities from Little Passports:
- Share and Wear Valentines: Make spinning DIY bracelets sure to add a beautiful touch to any Valentine’s Day outfit.
- Color Shine Valentines: Light your kids’ creative spark this Valentine’s Day with 25 beautiful DIY suncatcher valentines they can make for friends and family.
- Valentine’s Day Craft Bundle: Have twice the fun with this bundle containing both of the activities above.
This year, why not surprise your children with a special gift of their own? Our World Edition subscription box will ignite your kids’ curiosity about the world around them. Each month they’ll be introduced to a new country through stories, souvenirs, and hands-on activities to help them forge new connections to peoples and cultures both near and far.