"I Love You!"
"How do I love thee?" Let's count those ways… Here are ten simple activities and crafts that say "I Love You!" in an extra special way. These fun-filled, kid-friendly Valentine's suggestions not only help children express their feelings, but are guaranteed to make any Valentine recipient's day!
Creative Writing/Artwork
- Homemade Valentine Cards & Artwork: As always, homemade Valentines are quite often the nicest types of Valentines. They can be as simple as pasting cut out construction paper hearts onto fancy doilies, drawing or painting a picture or even creating a personalized card on the computer. Don't worry about artistic or poetic ability for when it comes to homemade Valentines, it is the sentiment and the effort that counts the most.
- Valentine's Book: Creating a short illustrated book can be a great Valentine's activity for children. For example, "The Ten Reasons Why I Love You Book" can consist of 10 simple pictures with a sentence at the bottom of each picture. When the drawings have been completed, arrange and staple the illustrated pages into booklet form. You can even include a dedication and about the author page!
- Valentine's Poem: Get those creative writing and thinking skills to work by creating a personalized Valentine's poem. For the best results, keep it short and sweet. Poems can be as simple as writing a sentence or adjective for each letter in a person's name (ie: GRANDMA: G is for great: R is for really special, etc.) or can take the form of more traditional poetry. Place the finished poem on poster board and decorate with hearts, dried flowers or other art supplies. These labors of love can be placed in inexpensive frames so they can be displayed in a home or office.
- Valentine's Coupon Book: Looking for a fun-filled and clever Valentine's gift ? Design your own Valentine's Coupon Book. The recipient can redeem these personalized coupons in order to receive a variety of services or treats. The coupon contents are solely up to you, however some suggestions include coupons good for: one room cleanup, a no hassle homework night, walking the dog, a sleep late Saturday morning, breakfast in bed etc. etc. Sending Valentine's coupons can be a unique for kids to show their appreciation.
Crafts
- "Picture of Me" Frame: Why not create a homemade picture frame to display a favorite photo? Start by cutting out the center of a plastic coffee can cover. Make the hole just large enough to frame your photo. This is the basic structure for a circular photo frame. You can also use sturdy gift box tops or cardboard to create rectangular, square or odd shaped frames. Once you have your photo frame structure, all you need to do is decorate!!!
- Yarn Frames:Roll yarn into small balls which can pass easily through the inside of your frame. Loop the yarn through the photo frame and tie a knot. Have your child continue to pass the yarn ball through the hole until the yarn covers the entire picture frame surface. Tie a knot at the end. **Place a favorite photo behind the frame. Attach your photo to the frame with tape, glue or safety pins. Cover the back of the photo frame with matching felt. Finish off by attaching a simple hook or string on the back for hanging. Yarn covered photo frames look very festive especially when using multi-colored yarn in Valentine's reds, pinks and whites.
- Jigsaw Frames: Glue old jigsaw puzzle pieces so that they cover the surface of your photo frame (Don't forget to leave an opening for the photo to show through.) Puzzle pieces should be layered and can extend slightly beyond frame boundaries. Paint the jigsaw pieces with red paint or with a variety of different colors. After the paint is completely dry, place a favorite photo behind the frame. Follow directions as indicated above.**
- Other Frames: Use your imagination to create a unique look by gluing uncooked macaroni (elbow, stars, various shapes), colored buttons, glitter etc. onto the surface of your photo frame. You can either paint over, under or around these assorted objects. Follow directions as indicated above.**
- Tissue Flower Bouquet: Sending flowers can be as easy as assembling some pipe cleaner and tissue paper flower bouquets. Cut out several circles of colored tissue paper (use a coffee can top as an outline). Stick a green pipe cleaner through the center of the first circle and fold the tip of the pipe cleaner over so that the circle is securely attached. Stick the second circle through the pipe cleaner so that it is directly underneath the first circle. Place a small drop of glue at the center of both the first and second circles. Gently pinch the base of the circles together . Repeat this procedure with several circles until you have created a full carnation type flower. Try using different tissue paper colors in order to create a variety of flowers for your bouquet.
Activities
- Breakfast: What better way to start Valentine's Day than with a special breakfast lovingly prepared by that special someone? Children of all ages can prepare breakfasts (ranging from simple to more sophisticated menus.) Younger children can handle no bake cuisine such as cereal, fruit, store baked muffins and orange juice. The more experienced chefs (with proper supervision!) can attempt toast, frozen pancakes, waffles, or muffin mixes. Top off the breakfast table or bed tray with an extra special touch such as a personalized Valentine's placemat (a favorite drawing or construction paper creation will do just fine), a homemade flower (see directions above) or a Valentine's card.
- Singing Telegrams: Surprise loved ones with a simple song. Whether it be over the phone or at their front door, this Valentine's gift is sure to bring a smile to their faces. Don't worry about pitch and tone, just sing from the heart. Simple songs work best for kids. Songs such as "You Are My Sunshine", the "Barney Theme Song" or even "Happy Valentine's' Day to You" (Same as Happy Birthday melody) or any others you know will do the trick. You may wish to write down the lyrics for reference. Kids can sing solo, as a group or adults can join in to create a family chorus. Practicing your telegrams ahead of time can be half the fun. This is a sure way to have memorable Valentine's Day.
- Home Videos: The perfect Valentine greeting for those relatives who live far away is a brief, but thoughtful homemade video. The video can include a personalized Valentine's hello along with short clips of special events (holidays, school plays, dance recitals, sports activities etc.) which have taken place throughout the year. Perhaps you may even wish to include an original skit, song, and dance. Grandparents especially love to watch their grandchildren in action and are usually thrilled to receive this type of footage.
- Homemade Cookies: A simple dish of homemade Valentine's cookies complete with chocolate kisses is always an extra special Valentine's treat. Cookies don't have to be made from scratch in order to be appreciated . Why not try slicing and decorating cookies from premade refrigerated cookie rolls? Heart-shaped cookies, thumb prints cookies with jam or simple XXXXs and OOOOs made from cookie dough will give it that homemade look.
Also see Precious, Personalized Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids for a unique selection of packaged, easy to make craft kits for children. Awesome products with great results!
See the Little Ones Valentine's Day Special for delicious Valentine's recipes along with charming children's Valentine's books in Valentine's Day Books They'll Love.
Also visit www.littleones.com for our selection of Great/Award Winning Children's Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts, and Children's Educational DVDs along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!
