Easy Valentine's Day Crafts for Toddlers and Babies

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and what better way to show your loved ones you care than with a handmade Valentine card! Even though your little one might be too young to actually construct and write Valentine’s Day cards, there are still plenty of easy DIY Valentine’s projects to do with your baby or toddler! Pick from our list below for some Valentine’s Day fun!

Valentine's Day Crafts by Age

Pick a craft that fits what your child can do right now:

• Babies (under 12 months): Handprint Roses (#2), Footprint Hearts (#7) and the LOVE Card (#8). You do the work, and your baby supplies the tiny hands and feet.
• Young toddlers (1 to 2 years): Celery Stamp Hearts (#9) and Marble Paint Hearts with the toddler swap (#4). Big, chunky tools are easier for small hands to grip.
• Older toddlers (2 to 3 years): Toilet Paper Roll Hearts (#1), Polka Dot Hearts (#6) and the Heart Tree (#10), with the shapes cut out ahead of time.
• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): Scrap Paper Hearts (#3) and Pretty Pom Poms (#5), for practice with cutting, gluing and pinching.

Safe Craft Supplies for Little Hands

• Choose washable paints and markers made for kids. The AP (Approved Product) seal from the Art & Creative Materials Institute means a board-certified toxicologist found nothing in the product at amounts that would be toxic to people, including children.
• Nontoxic doesn't mean edible. Wipe painted hands and feet as soon as you've made your prints.
• Keep pom-poms, buttons, beads, sequins, googly eyes and marbles away from kids who still put things in their mouths. Balloons, balls, marbles, toy pieces and food cause the most choking deaths in children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Balloons stay a choking risk up to age 8, so leave them out of crafts and decorations for little ones.
• Stay at the table. With toddlers, an adult handles the cutting, any sharp or hot steps, and the cleanup.

1. Toilet Paper Roll Heart Painting 

This craft is simple and adorable, while also encouraging recycling! Simply save an old toilet paper roll, make an indent in one part of the circle and pinch the other part to make a shape, and let your little one dip the stencil into the paint to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! You can use red, pink, or purple paint and use either a white piece of cardstock or canvas. This craft is doable for older toddlers and preschoolers who have good hand dexterity and won’t try to eat the paint.  

2. Handprint Roses 

If you have a younger baby or toddler, handprint/footprint crafts are easy to do! Simply get some red paint and a white sheet of paper, and you and your little one can create a beautiful bouquet of red flowers to celebrate the holiday! You can paint your baby’s hands or feet to use as stamps to create the flowers, and then simply draw on green stems and leaves or cut out construction paper pieces to form the parts of the flower! Your little one can “paint” long before she can actually hold a paintbrush!

3. Scrap Paper Hearts 

This craft is ideal for toddlers and preschoolers who are practicing cutting and gluing skills. Simply gather different colored pieces of paper, and let them practice cutting and pasting the pieces onto a piece of paper. When the pieces dry, an adult can use sharp scissors to cut out a heart shape that showcases all their hard work!

4. Marble Paint Hearts

Toddlers love the noise and the shaking in this one. You'll need a big plastic tub with a lid, a sheet of white paper, some Valentine's colored paints and a few marbles. Tape the paper inside the tub, squeeze a few drops of paint in different spots and drop in the marbles. Tape the lid on tight, then let your little one shake, tilt and roll the tub. The marbles leave fun lines and zigzags all over the paper.

Marbles are a choking hazard, so an adult puts them in and takes them out, and the lid stays taped shut. For children under 3, or any child who still mouths things, swap the marbles for a ball too big to fit in their mouth, like a tennis ball.

5. Pretty Pom Poms 

Little ones love to play with pom poms! They can be great for activities that develop fine motor skills. For this Valentine’s craft, children can either pinch a pom-pom with their fingers, tongs, or chopsticks and use the pom poms to paint a picture! For safety purposes, keep pom-poms away from small babies and toddlers who are at risk of putting the pom poms in their mouths. This activity is good for older toddlers and preschoolers. 

6. Polka Dot Hearts 

For this activity, you’ll need a set of paint dotters (available on Amazon and most craft supply stores). An adult will need to cut a heart shape out of cardboard or thick paper, and securely tape it onto a piece of white paper. Then, let your little one pick their colors of paint and let them stamp dots all over the paper! It’s ok if some paint gets on the heart. Wait until the paint dries, and then carefully remove the heart from the paper, leaving a white heart in its place surrounded by beautiful dots! This activity is appropriate for about ages 18 months to preschool.

7. Footprint Hearts

Even the littlest babies can do this one. Brush washable red or pink paint onto the bottoms of your baby's feet and press them onto paper with the heels overlapping to make a heart. Wipe their feet clean right away. Once it's dry, draw a heart outline around the prints if you like.

8. LOVE Card

Write a big "L" on the left of a sheet of white cardstock and an "E" on the right. In the gap, press your baby's handprint for the "O" and two footprints, heels touching, for the "V." To skip the paint, use the KeaBabies 4-Pack Inkless Ink Pads for the prints, or turn a handprint into a hanging keepsake with the Cherish Ornament Keepsake Kit.

9. Celery Stamp Hearts

Cut a celery stalk into short pieces. Spread a little paint on a paper plate and show your toddler how to dip the cut end and stamp. The curved ends make tiny hearts, and the chunky pieces are easy to hold.

10. Heart Tree

Draw a trunk and branches on white paper with a black marker. Cut 20 to 30 small paper hearts in pink, red and purple ahead of time (a large heart hole punch makes this quick). Your toddler chooses where each heart goes and sticks it on with a glue stick. Older kids can write kind words on the hearts.

Enjoy these crafts with your little one to create some fun Valentine’s memories with your family!

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