ALT-1 Valentines Day Fun and Easy Homemade Cards for Kids to Make
It doesn’t take much effort at all to inspire children to create their own Valentine’s Day cards. Homemade cards are a fun way to express one’s unique style and creativity, kids included! Provide the supplies, and they will do the rest. However, with some direction, you can provide the inspiration for some of these specific DIY Valentine cards, which your kids will love to make and give.
~Basic Supplies~
Before you begin any of these projects with your youngsters, make sure that you have some basic supplies on hand. Card stock in Valentine colors is great, though you can also work with construction paper, or with colored printer paper. Envelopes for quarter or half fold cards are good, too. Glue sticks provide a means of adhesion without mess. Embellishments can range from stickers, to pompoms, to foam cutouts, to rhinestones, to glitter, and beyond. If it can be glued onto the card, it’s useful, and you can pick out specifics for your projects, or you can provide an assortment. Don’t forget crayons, markers, and pens!
~Free Form~
The easiest handmade cards for kids to make for Valentine’s Day are those which allow for individual expression. For very young children, you make the folds, and the kids do the work. Help those who need it with spelling and writing. You will be amazed at the variety of interesting results you will see!
~Critter Cards~
Use colored pompoms, and wiggly eyes, as the basis of Valentine critters. You can be very specific with youngsters who are unsure of what to make. For example, several small pompoms in succession form a Valentine’s Day caterpillar. Use small pieces of colored pipe cleaner to form antennae. Another critter card might involve a butterfly. Use pipe cleaner to form the body and antennae, and glue four pompoms in place, two on either side, to form butterfly wings.
Allow your children to invent critters, and to name them. Older children may want to attempt making bears or mice. Young children will need more assistance, as their manual skills are less developed. Allow older children to assist younger siblings in the process.
~Fingerprint Cards~
Using stamp pads and fingerprints have your kids create flowers, hearts, and animals based on forms made with one or more imprints. The same critters, mentioned previously, can be artistically formed with fingerprints. Youngsters can use varied colors and imprints to border a card, and you may be surprised to find a child even figuring out how to write his name in fingerprint art.
~Picture Frame Cards~
Using die cut picture frames, and photos you print out for the children, have them glue the photo to their cards, and glue the frame outline in place over the photo. Use scrapbooking embellishments to provide the kids with more ways to decorate, whether with stickers, or heart die cuts.
~Pastel Hearts~
Using heart cut outs as a stencil of sorts, have older children outline the cut out in chalk pastel colors suitable to Valentine art. Have the child hold the cut out in place on the card, and use tissue or cotton balls to wipe the pastel outward from the heart, onto the card. When the outline of the heart has been transferred all the way around, remove the cutout, and the result will be a solid heart, encircled by the wisps of pastel. The child can repeat the process with the same cutout, or with various sizes of hearts. This creates a beautiful background upon which your child can place his or her Valentine’s Day message.
~Candy Cards~
Many children enjoy giving Valentine’s Day cards which include candies. There are several ways in which they can create handmade candy cards for classmates, siblings, or parents. One of the most basic is to cut out a heart shape, and to punch two holes, about a half inch apart at an angle, in the center of the card. Put a lollipop through the holes, weaving in on one side, and out on the other.
Candies can be glued into cards, to accompany a fun saying. Mints, for example, go along with the saying, “You are worth a mint to me!” Lifesavers are great for, “Be a lifesaver, and be mine!” Sweet tarts are perfect for, “Be my Sweet heart!” Give your older kids a few suggestions, and before you know it, they’ll be sending you back to the store for more treats to go in their cards.
Handmade cards are treasured by parents and grandparents. They can also be an economical way of handling your child’s Valentines for a school party. It doesn’t take much motivation to get youngsters to draw and create, but with a little extra help from a parent, they can create some amazing and unusual Valentine cards from scratch! The sky is the limit, when imaginations are involved.
