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February- the sweetest time of the year is finally here. On Valentine’s Day, on the day of love, creatively inspire your kids by engaging them to execute some simple art and craft ideas that can be used as home decoration or could even serve the purpose of gifting. Art and craft sessions between parents and kids get more interesting if they have a theme associated with them. Valentine’s Day is the perfect way to hone your child’s creative skills, along with having fun. So presenting to you our top 5 Valentine’s Day crafts for kids.
Teach your kids to express love through Valentine’s Day crafts and ideas:
1. Marshmallow bugs
This one is an edible art and craft, which is not going to last soon. Marshmallows are a hit with kids and it will be difficult to prevent them from eating while working on this one.
Things Required: Marshmallows, lollipop sticks, gumdrops, mini heart cutter, edible sprinkles, dry spaghetti, white chocolate, corn syrup, edible colors
How to create it?: Slide two marshmallows (or three) on a lollipop stick. Fill a deep bowl or cup with water. Dip the marshmallows in and remove quickly, dabbing excess water on a paper towel. Hold the wet marshmallows over a bowl or plate and sprinkle generously to coat with the sprinkles.
Skew 2 marshmallows inside a lollipop stick. Now take the gumdrops and keep it on a plate. Using a mini heart cutter, cut the gumdrops in heart shape. Some of these hearts should be dipped in red edible color and some in white edible color. Now make very small balls with white chocolate and dip this in black edible color.
These small balls will serve as eyes. Now paste them on the white hearts. Now paste two hearts on the gumdrop which will serve as the head. Paste the eyes on these white hearts. Skew the red hearts into dry spaghetti. Now slide this dried spaghetti stick, somewhere in the middle of the two marshmallows.
Take on red heart and coat it with corn syrup and stick it on the lower marshmallow. This will serve as the belly button. Now again take the gum rolls and cut in the shape of small bowls. Take the dry spaghetti and insert these bowls in an inverted manner. This will serve as the ears. Your marshmallow bugs are ready.
2. Handprint hearts
This is one part of your child which you would like to preserve forever, just like you preserve so many memories of kids in your heart. This activity is super easy and will not take more than 10 minutes.
Things Required: Paint, paper
How to create it?: Paint your kid’s hand with the color of your choice. Ask him to imprint this on the paper. Now paint the other hand with a different color, and align this hand on the paper such that a heart shape is formed. Voila, you have a beautiful heart to keep.
3. Melted crayon hearts
Do you also have a large number of broken crayons and don’t know what to do with them. Well, then this is the perfect art and craft activity for your kids this Valentine.
Things Required: Crayons, silicon Moulds
How to create it?: Preheat the microwave to 250 degrees. Next, remove the paper coverings on crayons if any. Cut the crayons into smaller pieces. Smaller the pieces, the less time it will take for them to melt. Now place these crayons into the molds. Bake these crayons in the microwave at 250 degrees for a good 20 minutes. This will give them enough time to settle. Take them out of the microwave and allow them to cool. After 20-25 minutes you can de-mold them. And they are ready. You can use them as decorative pieces.
4. Celery flower stamp greeting cards
This one is extremely easy. All you require is celery from your nearby grocery store and some watercolors.
Things Required: Celery, watercolors, paper, knife
How to create it?: Make a bunch of 5-6 celery. Cut the celery to the bottom and ensure they are all in equal length. On paper plate, pour some watercolor and mix it to get the proper consistency. Now apply this paint on the bottom celery. Press the celery firmly on the paper and then lift it. You have a flower ready. Once the flowers are ready you can draw the stem and the leaves of the flower. Make your kids write ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ with a sketch pen on the paper. This will serve as the perfect greeting card.
5. Quilled paper hearts
Quilling is a new thing in the art and craft industry. So why not make it a part of Valentine’s Day crafts as well.
Things Required: Red medium-weight paper, scissors, slim pencil, sticky tape, paper glue, white paper card blank
How to create it: Cut a strip of the red paper measuring 20cm long x 7mm wide. Fold the strip in half lengthways. Roll one end of the red paper strip tightly around a thin pencil or another cylindrical object. Repeat for the other end of the paper, to make the other side of the heart. For a tighter curl, secure the rolled-up paper with sticky tape and leave for a couple of hours. Glue the quilled heart on to the paper card. Write Valentine’s message on the card.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
by Udita Saklani
