Making cards for friends and classmates at school is a fun and creative way for kids to celebrate Valentine's Day. They're also fun to make for mum and dad or grandparents too. They don't have to be complicated either, I've put together a great list of 16 simple DIY Valentine's Day card ideas that can be made by kids, either at school or at home.
These Valentine's card ideas explore different process art techniques for children, including various ways to print, stamp and paint. Because they're so easy, they're suitable for toddlers, preschoolers and school kids and can easily be done as a group activity. There's also no right or wrong way to do them, so each card will be unique.
16 EASY VALENTINES DAY CARD IDEAS FOR KIDS
Each card idea uses basic craft supplies that you'll likely have on hand at home or in the classroom already, such as paint {either washable tempera paint or watercolours}, glue, cardstock, or paper. Some may also require recyclable materials {if you're anything like us, you'll already have plenty hoarded for craft}.
PAPER ROLL HEART VALENTINES DAY CARDS
It's super easy to make heart toilet paper roll stamps and use them to make Valentine's Day cards. You'll need to make the stamps yourself, following our instructions here {they only take 30 seconds to make}, then let the kids loose with some washable paint. If you don't want to use toilet paper rolls you can get craft cardboard tubes or use empty paper towel rolls.
SPONGE HEART VALENTINES CARD
Another really easy way for kids to make cute Valentine's Day cards is printing with a heart sponge. All you need is washable paint, cardstock and some foam or a sponge that can be cut into a heart shape. Follow the directions at Preschool Toolkit.
BUBBLE WRAP PRINTED HEART CARDS
Another fun printing technique to use for cards is bubble wrap printing. Use left over bubble wrap from packaging and paint to print and then cut out heart shapes like Rainy Day Mum did to make Valentine's Day cards.
POM POM PRINTED HEART CARD
Pom pom painting is one of my kids favourite ways to paint because it's totally different to painting with a paintbrush. It's also a really fun way to get in some extra fine motor practice. You'll need a clothes peg, pom pom and some paint. Follow the instructions at Lil Tigers to create your own pom pom heart card for Valentine's Day.
FINGER PRINT HEART CARD
Creating a finger print heart card is so easy it can be done with even the youngest of children. Use the kids fingers to print heart shapes on the card {with assistance if they're really young} and then add details with a pen to make them look like a bunch of flowers or balloons. You can also make these for Mother's Day cards like Kiddy Charts did.
STICKY HEART CARD
My girls love making sticky cards where we use contact paper to create a shape and then stick tissue paper, jewels and anything else onto it to create a pretty card for any occasion. We made these sticky heart cards for Valentine's Day and have also made a Mother's Day version too. They're great for fine motor practice and lots of fun to make.
PUZZLE HEART CARD
Use cardstock puzzle pieces to make an I love you to pieces Valentine's card. This card is so easy to put together because it comes with a free printable template for the card and puzzle pieces - all you need to do is cut them out and decorate the card. There's also an SVG file included for those who have a Cricut to make cutting out the puzzle pieces even easier.
COFFEE FILTER HEART CARDS
These coffee filter cards are so fun to make with coffee filters, pens and water. There's also a free template for the card from Messy Little Monster to make the heart shapes. Each card will be unique even when using the template, as each child will decorate the coffee filters differently.
I LOVE YOU TO PIECES CARD
Another cute Valentine's card to tie in with the saying I love you to pieces is this torn paper Valentine's Day craft. It comes with a free printable template and then children can decorate the heart with torn paper and colour in the words. The template is full page, but you can turn it into a card by either writing on the back, or printing the template smaller and then sticking the finished piece onto some folded cardstock.
BUBBLE BLOWING HEART CARD
This bubble blown heart card can possibly get a little messy, but it's great for kids who love sensory play. To limit the mess you can use smaller mini bubble wands like A Craft at Home Family did below. Follow the instructions to make a bubble blown heart card here.
CRAYON RESIST VALENTINES DAY CARDS
Making crayon resist cards is a fun process art activity for kids and you can make any design you like. You'll need some white crayons, watercolour paints and cardstock. As the kids make the cards the design will appear like magic! Follow the instructions at Red Ted Art to make your own.
BUTTON HEART CARD
If you have lots of pink and red buttons, put them to good use making a button heart card like Kid's Craft Room. This one is great fine motor practice for the kids and a great way to use up that jar of random buttons we all seem to have.
PAPER STRIP HEART CARD
This paper strip card is a great way for preschoolers to practice using scissors as they'll need to cut different coloured paper into strips. If your kids aren't old enough to do this themselves, they can still assemble the cards with pre-cut paper. Follow the instructions at Rainy Day Mum.
MARBLE PRINTED HEART CARD
Kids will have so much fun creating marbled prints to use for this marble printed heart card. First create marble paintings either with a marble art kit or shaving cream and food colouring. Once it's dry use the free printable template and instructions at The Craft Train to turn the painting into a heart card that opens up.
CONVERSATION HEARTS CARD
These conversation heart cards look just like the candies and would be great to use in conjunction with them as a class gift. These cards are made using potatoes to print heart shapes then small vintage style alphabet stamps to imitate the typed words. If the children making the cards can't yet read then an adult can add the words after they've made the hearts. Follow the instructions at Projects With Kids.
MONOPRINT HEART CARDS
These monoprint heart cards are a great way to explore painting without a paintbrush, instead you'll need some q-tips {cotton ear buds if you're in Australia} and alfoil. Follow the instructions at Non Toy Gifts to create monoprint cards with your kids.
MORE VALENTINES DAY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
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