It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and your children are tasked with taking Valentines to share with all of their classmates. You and your children scour the Valentine’s Day aisles at the store only to return empty handed, vowing you will make them…but you may be feeling overwhelmed at the thought of it! Are you wracking your brain trying to come up with creative Valentine card ideas for your children? We suggest holding a Valentine’s Day card making session and letting the kids do the work! Jen Carver, of Spaceships and Laser Beams, is here to share her tips for tackling this in 4 easy steps.
Step #1: Brainstorm a list of hobbies and interests your children have. Help them record these on a piece of paper. Ideas could include Minecraft, playing basketball, dancing, singing, baking, reading, or any number of things. Use this list to help your child determine a theme for their Valentines. Once they’ve chosen a theme for their Valentines, they are ready for step #2.
Step #2: Scour the internet for Valentine card ideas related to your child’s chosen Valentine card theme. For example, search for “super hero Valentines” or “rainbow loom Valentines” to get some ideas flowing. These type of searches will turn up all sorts of creative ideas, free printable tags, cards and labels that you can use in assisting your children. You may also see items you can consider purchasing to simplify the process. The other great thing about searching online is that other people’s ideas may inspire you or your child with a totally new, unique idea! A book lover may decide to craft a bookmark inspired Valentine for classmates. A soccer lover may want to purchase candy soccer balls and attach a printable tag. The sky is the limit! After a specific idea has been agreed upon, move on to step #3.
Step #3: Gather needed materials. Now things are starting to get fun! Before heading to the store to purchase items, take inventory of the craft supplies, treats and general Valentine’s Day themed items you already have at home. Here are some items to consider: adhesive, glue sticks, card stock, ribbon, cellophane bags, a hole punch, doilies, scissors, paper cutter, embellishments, candy. Make a list of items you still need to buy and then getting your shopping shoes on! I always start at dollar stores. They stock their shelves with a plethora of colorful, inexpensive Valentine themed decor and craft materials perfect for making homemade Valentine’s Day cards. Pick up enough items needed and a few extras in case your children make an error and need to create an extra card or two.
Step #4: Get crafting! The fun part of making homemade Valentine’s Day cards for kids is giving them the freedom to actually craft themselves. Children gain great amounts of confidence from getting to make choices and learning to create with limited interference. Of course, parents are a great help and some children may need more guidance than others.
With all 4 steps completed, relish in the joy your children feel at their accomplishment! Operation “homemade Valentine’s Day card making” was a success!
I loved this idea – its perfect for Valentine’s Day and for last minute planners like myself. I featured you for this week’s #FoodieFriDIY linkup – just went live!! Can’t wait to see what you link up this week. 🙂
Thank you so much Jenny! Heading over there now!