If you’re a last-minute shopper like us, fret not, DIY valentines will save the day. And best of all, these are probably some of the easiest, cheapest, last-minute valentines for kids.
Animal Stamps and Silly Messages
I started with an animal stamp set my 3-year-old received for his birthday. You can use any old stamp or even draw a picture. I cut pieces of card stock in about 3-inch squares and let Calvin stamp to his heart’s content.
The cards weren’t perfect, but good enough for a 3-year-old.
Next, I printed messages on the computer and cut out to fit the backs of the cards. Deep thoughts here. Love is in the air.
After attaching the messages to the back, I wanted to give these valentines a little extra something. Those store-bought cards won’t hold a candle to the lustre provided by everyone’s favorite craft glue, Mod Podge. I applied just a thin top coat to both sides.
After drying, here’s the finished project. Calvin’s sure to win some hearts this year.
Handmade Word Search Puzzle
My 8-year-old loves word search puzzles and so we thought it would be fun for her to design a Valentine-themed word search. She wrote out the words she wanted to include in the “word bank.” She counted the letters in the longest word and determined how many rows and columns to create. Then, she drew a practice puzzle first.
She entered the hidden words some going horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and backwards. Then, she randomly filled in the letters in between by reciting the alphabet.
I scanned the puzzle and printed out about 20 copies. We glued them to cardstock to create a folded card with the puzzle inside. Ana decorated the outside. I did the word search myself and, I tell you, it’s a challenge!
Edible Valentine’s Treat for the Class
To say all of our lives are crazy is an understatement. When I found out Oliver, my 3-year-old, was having a Valentine’s Day party at his school, I took a deep breath and racked my brain for what I could do that was different and, well, easy. This quick fix is easy on the wallet AND a favorite with kids and adults alike.
I bought boxes of oreo cakesters, some sprinkles, cute valentine’s day bags, cardstock, and valentine stickers to whip up a take home bag of goodies.
It was a little difficult convincing Oliver to help me stuff the bags after we rolled the cakesters with sprinkles. All he really wanted to do was eat a cakester. But in the end, he complied and loved that his classmates were each going to get a bag.
After you put the candy hearts and cakester in the bag, cut a square of cardstock, put a hole through it, attach your sticker and secure all with a twisty tie. This is a three-minute project but still ended up looking pretty darn good.
