Today we have our fantabulous preschool teacher-friend, Joanne, here to share some GREAT Valentine’s Day crafts and ideas to do with your own kiddos! You can also see more of her previous posts here :: Christmas // Christmas Cheer // Thanksgiving // National Ice Cream Day!
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! (Ahhh, where did the time go wasn’t Christmas like a week ago?!?). I wish I could have gotten this out to you sooner, but it’s been super hectic at work getting our quarterly progress reports in and I feel like I can finally breathe. So, here are a bunch of Valentine’s Day craft ideas, and hopefully you have some time to make one or two, and still have time for lots of hugs and kisses!
Two contact paper “suncatchers”
Contact paper is the nectar of the gods according to teachers. I use it from “laminating” projects to taping things (it leaves no residue on most floors and furniture). It can be used in various art projects, and best of all, it’s sticky goodness is self-contained and doesn’t spread to the table.
I cut out large heart shapes out of the contact paper and in art project on the left, I had the children use their fine motor skills to sprinkle glitter all over. I then made two holes at the top of the heart to string them around my classroom. This picture doesn’t do it justice – it’s so sparkly and gorgeous in real life, that the camera freaked out at its glittery amazingness.
For the other art project I cut out squares from tissue paper (it you have the time/patience, you can have your child help you cut to give them an extra helping of fine motor development). The children just randomly placed the tissue paper on the contact paper and smoothed it down. This project is versatile because you can create different patterns or a picture using different colored tissue paper. Be creative!
Cardboard cutout art
I love I just told you how much I love contact paper, I also have a thing for corrugated cardboard. Kids LOVE texture! I must be honest, I’m not sure where to get your hands on this, this is from my wedding china (teachers save everything to the point of hoarding).
I cut out a heart shape from the cardboard and stuck this on the painting easel.
…to get this.
But wait, there’s more! Take the middle of the cardboard and tape it down to your table. Tape a piece of paper over the heart to create a heart rubbing. This was a learning experience, because some of my children had never experienced rubbing a crayon on its side (if you have the round crayons or homemade crayon melts, this project is easier). Once they got they hang of their new grip, they were amazed that a picture came through the paper.
Handprint ASL I love you
I have a deaf student this year, and I have been trying to teach my class a sign a day (My American Sign Language skills are limited and YouTube is a blessing). So, when my co-worker spied a version of this Valentine on Pinterest, we needed to do it. Simply trace your child’s hand, cut it out and glue the ring and middle fingers down to make the sign for “I love you.” Feel free to decorate as you wish (though foam cut outs and glitter are favorites).
Dictation cards
One of the Valentine’s Day cards that my kids make to send home to their families is based strictly on what they say – this is done after discussing how this holiday is for showing people how much we love them. This is a fun language activity that you can do yearly with your child(ren) to see how their language develops over the course of their early years. And like I said, I only write down exactly what the child says, so some of the cards are a little off the wall, but that’s the fun in the project.
Stay tuned for a few more ideas from Joanne to make Valentine’s Day extra special!
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