Seasonal Activities

Valentine's Day Craft Ideas for Kids

Heart-shaped cards, paper flowers and love bugs to make and give, plus a name-finding game hidden in red rice.

Updated 13 January 2023

Valentine's Day crafts for kids: a decorated picture frame with a photo

Quick answer

Three quick makes for ages 3 to 7: decorate heart-shaped cards, turn paper hearts into 3D flowers on pipe-cleaner stems, and build pom-pom love bugs with googly eyes.

Valentine's Day is a chance for children to show their love for friends and family, and homemade crafts are the best way to do it. Here are three to make with your Mini Makers, plus a bonus game at the end.

1. Heart-shaped cards

Decorate plain or heart-shaped cards with hearts, glitter and stickers to give to friends and family.

Best forDecorating and gift making
Age3 to 7
Time20 minutes
Mess levelMedium
DifficultyEasy
CostUnder £3

You will need

Plain cards, or heart-shaped blank cards
Paper hearts, glitter, stickers
Glue

How to set it up

Let your child cover the front of each card with hearts, glitter and stickers.
Help them write or trace a message inside.
Give the cards to friends, classmates and family.

Why it helps

Sticking small decorations practises fine motor control, and making something to give is an early lesson in thinking about other people.

Safety notes

Glitter and small stickers need supervision with younger children.

Paper heart flowers with scrunched tissue-paper centres on pipe-cleaner stems

2. Paper heart flowers

Paper hearts on pipe-cleaner stems with scrunched tissue-paper centres. A gift for someone special.

Best forCutting, scrunching and gluing
Age3 to 7
Time20 minutes
Mess levelLow
DifficultyEasy
CostUnder £2

You will need

Colourful paper
Pipe cleaners
Tissue paper
Glue and scissors

How to set it up

Cut hearts from the coloured paper.
Glue a pipe cleaner to the back of each heart as a stem.
Scrunch small pieces of tissue paper and glue them to the heart to make a 3D flower.

Why it helps

Scrunching tissue paper is a workout for the small hand muscles, and cutting the hearts practises scissor control.

Safety notes

Child-safe scissors and supervision. Bend the pipe-cleaner ends over so no wire is exposed.

Love bug craft made from pipe cleaners, pom-poms and googly eyes

3. Love bugs

Pipe cleaners, googly eyes and pom-poms become little love bugs. Add a magnet for the fridge.

Best forFine motor skills and imaginative play
Age3 to 7
Time15 minutes
Mess levelLow
DifficultyEasy
CostUnder £2

You will need

Pipe cleaners
Googly eyes
Pom-poms
Glue, and a magnet if you want a fridge bug

How to set it up

Glue two or three pom-poms together for a body.
Twist pipe cleaners into legs and antennae and push them into the pom-poms.
Add googly eyes. Stick a magnet to the back to keep it on the fridge.

Why it helps

Twisting pipe cleaners and positioning tiny eyes are precise fine motor tasks, and each bug becomes a character for imaginative play afterwards.

Safety notes

Small parts and magnets: keep away from under-threes and never leave magnets where they could be swallowed.

Featured kit

Seasonal kits, sorted

Our themed activity kits arrive with four crafts and every material you need, delivered to your door with free UK delivery.

Browse Activity Kits for 3 to 7 Year Olds

Bonus: the hidden name heart

To help your child recognise their name, cut out a heart and write their name across it with big gaps between the letters. Cut the heart into strips, hide them in a tray of red sensory rice, and ask your child to find the letters and put the heart back together in the right order.