These Valentine's Day crafts and activities are great ways to spend time with kids and show them some love.
You will always be your kiddo’s first Valentine! Parents can show kids just how loved and adored they are by showering them with attention and extra special activities and treats. We rounded up our favorite Valentine’s Day crafts, treats, and other ways to celebrate together: Spend time together baking heart-shaped Valentine's Day treats, whipping up a batch of Valentine's Day crafts (we even found Valentine's Day STEM projects), and toasting your loves with a mocktail—every one of these ideas says “I love you!” loud and clear.
For more yummy sweet treats for your sweetie, check out our Easy Recipes Guide. And you'll find hundreds of ideas for crafts and activities for kids in our At-Home Guide for Families.
The really special thing about these crafts is the time you spend together. Photo courtesy of the Franklin Park Library
Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids
1. Craft With Love
Does your little one love to craft? Set up an epic craft date to show her just how much you love her. The possibilities are endless—use doilies to create unique prints and make t-shirts, transform conversation heartsinto magnets with a drop of glue, or add a little light to the day by making these adorable votives.
2. 14 Days of Love Notes
This is one tradition that is easy enough to stick to year after year and create a tradition. All this super simple Valentine’s Day activity requires is writing something you love about your child on a paper heart and taping it to their door each day in February. By Valentine's Day, their door will be covered with love.
3. Set Up a Photo Shoot
Capture some priceless memories by setting up a Valentine’s Day photo shoot. Whether you are capturing your love for your children or a sweet moment between siblings, a few photo props, an easy DIY backdrop, or red and pink outfits are all you need. Document your love for each other, and treasure it for years to come.
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Nothing says "I love you!" like slime! Photo courtesy of Michael's
4. Make Some ValenSlime
Will you be my ValenSlime? For kids of a certain age, slime is truly their love language. Whip up a batch of one of these simple slime recipes. For a true multi-sensory experience, add some red or pink coloring, sparkles, or rose scent. This also makes a great non-candy Valentine's Day gift.
5. Create a Valentine Sensory Bin
Busy toddlers love a good sensory bin! These sensory experiences provide little hands with a safe way to explore different textures and materials. From strawberry-scented rice to this Find the Hearts sensory bin, Valentine sensory bins are a great way to show your preschooler just how much you love them.
6. Secret Cupid
Secret Cupid is just like Secret Santa, but with a Valentine’s Day twist. A week or so before Valentine’s Day, write the names of everyone who wants to take part on a piece of paper, and have each person pick a name out of a hat. Each day for the week leading up to the holiday, leave your Secret Cupid a little gift. You can set a price limit and purchase small items such as chocolate or flowers, or keep things simple this year by writing love poems or leaving handmade cards.
7. Love Yourself with a DIY Spa Day
Spend the day pampering yourself—you are worth it! Make this Valentine's Day extra special by lighting scented candles, setting up a manicure table (to paint your nails red, of course), and making some of your favorite bath products from scratch. Use silicone heart molds to create these bath bombs. And this conversation hearts sugar scrub will bring your Valentine’s Day Spa to the next level.
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Make the night extra sweet by whipping up a batch of Valentine’s Day Popcorn.Photo courtesy of Two Sisters Crafting
8. Family Movie Night
What could be sweeter than snuggling up on the sofa with your loved ones? Gnomeo and Juliet, The Princess Bride, Enchanted, and Shrek are just romantic enough (but not too romantic!) for the entire family. Make the night extra sweet by whipping up a batch of Valentine’s Day Popcorn.
9. Valentine’s Day STEM Projects
Ever wonder why Cupid’s arrow soars through the air? Make a Cupid’s Balloon Rocket and find out! Observe the crystallization process by making your own rock candy, or engineer structures with paper hearts. Encourage a love of learning by setting up a variety of fun Valentine’s Day STEM projects to test out.
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Red, white, and pink plus loads of hearts everywhere makes for a festive house. Photo by Ally Noel
10. Decorate the House
Pick a room, any room! It’s February, celebrate all month long by decorating any room (or rooms) in your home for Valentine’s Day. These beautiful homemade decorations will add a festive touch to just about any space. Why should Christmas get all the good decor?
11. Make Homemade Valentines
There’s nothing quite like a homemade Valentine. Younger kids can make these easy Valentine’s Day cards, while older kids can spend some time writing a heartfelt message to loved ones. If you need a little motivation, check out these great tips on how to get started.
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Pinkies up, it's time for tea. Photo by Ally Noel
Valentine's Day Treats To Make Together
12. Have a Tea Party
Pinkies up! Tea doesn’t have to be just for two this Valentine’s Day. Set a lovely table with doilies and homemade hearts, make some decadent heart-shaped tea sandwiches, and get all dressed up in your Valentine’s Day finest to celebrate the day with loved ones. Gear the festivities to younger kids by using a toy tea set and serving pink lemonade. For a warm drink, try making a vanilla cinnamon steamer.
13. Make a Fancy Heart-Shaped Dinner
From quesadillas to homemade pasta, have some fun with your Valentine’s Day dinner by putting a little heart into it. This Valentine’s Day, spend some time in the kitchen preparing a new recipe with your loved ones. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, homemade pasta can easily be cut into noodles, avocado hearts can dress up a salad, or kick the evening off with a love-themed charcuterie board.
14. Hot Chocolate Date
What’s cozier than a cup of cocoa? Snuggling up with your wee ones and enjoying a cup together! This recipe for pink Cupid’s Hot Chocolate is the perfect treat to share with someone you love. You can also use red and pink sprinkles to make a batch of hot chocolate bombs for the holiday.
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It's easy to make heart-shaped pancakes and toppings into hearts, too. Photo courtesy of twopeasandtheirpod.com
15. Everyone Loves Breakfast
Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so show your family some love by kicking off your special day with some Valentine’s Day treats. Pour some heart-shaped pancakes on the griddle, make a pink smoothie, and serve with a side of Cupid’s Arrow Fruit Kabobs—this meal is the perfect way to say “I love you!” first thing in the morning.
16. Ice Cream Sundae Board
Is it even Valentine’s Day if you don’t indulge a little ... or maybe a lot! This year, celebrate your sweeties with a little something sweet by creating an ice cream sundae board. Chocolate ice cream, cherries, strawberry sauce, raspberries, and a whole lot of Valentine’s Day candies make this an absolutely delectable indulgence. Not feeling like a chilly treat? Check out our other decadent dessert board recipes.
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Decorating cookie houses isn't just for Christmas. Photo by Ally Noel
17. Decorate a Sugar Cookie House
Why should gingerbread have all the fun!?! Maybe you have a leftover gingerbread house from Christmas that you didn’t use, or maybe you want to make your own out of sugar cookie dough. Whatever the case may be, these cookie houses are just asking to be decorated with all that sweet Valentine’s Day candy!
18.Bake Something Sweet
Love is sweet, isn’t it? The choices are endless: Let your little loves indulge in a feast of chocolate-dipped strawberries. Spend the day in the kitchen baking some banana chocolate chip oatmeal bites, mug cakes, or even delicious homemade ice cream. Or look like a real-life cake boss by making a gorgeous heart-shaped cake without a special pan. After it’s baked, let the kids have fun decorating it with frosting and candy.
19. Make a Mocktail
Say “Cheers!” with one of our scrumptious mocktail recipes. Keep things pink and fruity with our classic Shirley Temple, or decadent with a Frozen Hot Chocolate.
Heart-shaped pizza with heart-shaped pepperoni shows double the love. Photo courtesy of lilluna.com
20. Make Heart-Shaped Pizza
Dear Pizza, You’ve stolen a pizza my heart. I pepper-only have eyes for you. Every pizza me loves every pizza you. Love, Ally. If pizza is the way to your family’s heart, then this heart-shaped pizza (with heart-shaped pepperoni!) is definitely speaking your love language. Need more pizza recipes? I've gathered all my favorite in one place.
Lead photo courtesy Fanny/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert in Valentine's Day crafts and activities for kids, I can provide you with information related to the concepts mentioned in this article. Here are some key points:
Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids
- Valentine's Day crafts are a great way to spend time with kids and show them love.
- Craft activities like creating unique prints using doilies, making t-shirts, transforming conversation hearts into magnets, and making adorable votives can be enjoyed with your little ones [[1]].
14 Days of Love Notes
- A tradition of writing something you love about your child on a paper heart and taping it to their door each day in February can be a special way to show your love [[2]].
Photo Shoot
- Setting up a Valentine's Day photo shoot can capture priceless memories of your love for your children or sweet moments between siblings. You can use photo props, create an easy DIY backdrop, or dress in red and pink outfits for the shoot [[3]].
ValenSlime
- Making slime can be a fun Valentine's Day activity for kids. You can try simple slime recipes and add red or pink coloring, sparkles, or rose scent for a multi-sensory experience [[4]].
Valentine Sensory Bin
- Valentine sensory bins provide toddlers with a safe way to explore different textures and materials. You can create sensory bins with strawberry-scented rice or a "Find the Hearts" theme to show your preschooler how much you love them [[5]].
Secret Cupid
- Secret Cupid is a Valentine's Day twist on the Secret Santa tradition. Participants write the names of everyone who wants to take part on a piece of paper and exchange small gifts or heartfelt messages leading up to Valentine's Day [[6]].
DIY Spa Day
- Pampering yourself on Valentine's Day can be a special treat. You can create a DIY spa day by lighting scented candles, setting up a manicure table, and making your favorite bath products from scratch [[7]].
Family Movie Night
- Snuggling up on the sofa with your loved ones for a family movie night can be a sweet way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Movies like Gnomeo and Juliet, The Princess Bride, Enchanted, and Shrek are suitable for the entire family [[8]].
Valentine's Day STEM Projects
- Engaging in Valentine's Day STEM projects can encourage a love of learning in kids. Projects like making a Cupid's Balloon Rocket, observing the crystallization process with rock candy, or engineering structures with paper hearts can be educational and fun [[9]].
Decorating the House
- Decorating any room in your home for Valentine's Day can add a festive touch to the month of February. Homemade decorations can create a warm and loving atmosphere [[10]].
Homemade Valentines
- Making homemade Valentine's Day cards can be a special way to show your love. Younger kids can create easy cards, while older kids can write heartfelt messages to loved ones [[11]].
Tea Party
- Having a tea party on Valentine's Day can be a lovely way to celebrate. You can set a beautiful table with doilies, make heart-shaped tea sandwiches, and dress up in Valentine's Day attire [[12]].
Fancy Heart-Shaped Dinner
- Making a heart-shaped dinner can add a special touch to your Valentine's Day celebration. You can use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to create heart-shaped pasta or avocado, or create a love-themed charcuterie board [[13]].
Hot Chocolate Date
- Enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with your loved ones can be a cozy way to celebrate Valentine's Day. You can make pink Cupid's Hot Chocolate or create hot chocolate bombs with red and pink sprinkles [[14]].
Everyone Loves Breakfast
- Starting your special day with Valentine's Day treats for breakfast can be a loving gesture. Heart-shaped pancakes, pink smoothies, and Cupid's Arrow Fruit Kabobs can make the meal extra special [[15]].
Ice Cream Sundae Board
- Creating an ice cream sundae board can be a sweet way to celebrate Valentine's Day. You can include chocolate ice cream, cherries, strawberry sauce, raspberries, and Valentine's Day candies for a delectable indulgence [[16]].
Decorate a Sugar Cookie House
- Decorating a sugar cookie house with Valentine's Day candy can be a fun activity. You can use leftover gingerbread houses from Christmas or make your own out of sugar cookie dough [[17]].
Bake Something Sweet
- Baking sweet treats is a classic way to celebrate Valentine's Day. You can make chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana chocolate chip oatmeal bites, mug cakes, or a heart-shaped cake with frosting and candy decorations [[18]].
Make a Mocktail
- Celebrate with a scrumptious mocktail on Valentine's Day. You can try classic mocktails like the Shirley Temple or indulge in a Frozen Hot Chocolate [[19]].
Make Heart-Shaped Pizza
- Heart-shaped pizza with heart-shaped pepperoni can be a fun and delicious way to celebrate Valentine's Day. It's a great option for families who love pizza [[20]].
I hope these ideas inspire you to have a memorable and love-filled Valentine's Day with your kids!
