Valentine's Day is almost here again!
While I'm not really a fan of lovey-dovey mooshy things, I am a fan of any holiday or event that gives me a chance to get creative, and Valentine's Day is one such day!
Now that Lola has moved up to middle school, I'm down to just one kid celebrating Valentine's Day with their class. Only three more years worth of making Valentine's boxes and goodies for classmates.
I'm looking forward to getting creative with Mathilde and can't wait to show you what we create, but in the meantime, I'm sharing a look back at all the different things we'd made for Valentine's Day in the past...
Class Valentines
Candy Heart Key Chain
Candy hearts are a Valentine's Day classic but, as cute as they are, they really don't taste any good. A few years back we made candy heart inspired keychains out of Sculpy clay for the kids to hand out to their classmates. They were easy to make and the kids had fun coming up with words to emboss into them. There may or may not have been one that said "poo".
You can find the DIY here: https://www.littlehiccups.net/2018/02/candy-heart-key-chains.html
Whistling You a Sweet Valentine's Day
This one is simple and sweet. A classic lollipop from my childhood attached to a simple backing card. There's not much of a DIY for this one, but you can find the template for the backing card in this post:
Worm Hugs
These fuzzy worms were a huge hit when Lola and Mathilde handed them out to their classmates. We kept it pretty simple and bagged these fluffy little guys in cello bags with a simple label attached. The kids couldn't agree on a cheesy saying to go on the labels, so Mathilde handed out worms labeled "Worm Hugs" and Lola handed out worms labeled "You've wormed your way into my heart"!
You can find the template for both labels in this post:
Bath Bomb Hearts
Ok, this one actually involves a DIY! We made these little heart shaped bath bombs quite a few years ago and they are still one of my favorites. They were pretty easy to make and they made out apartment smell divine!
You can find the DIY and the card topper template in this post:
Strawberry Meringue Hearts
More hearts! While these Valentines look kind of similar to the bath bombs they are very much edible. In fact, they are downright delicious! I was inspired to make these heart shaped meringues after I made poop emoji shaped meringues for Lola's emoji themed party one year. They were such a hit that Lola requested we make them again the following year for her to hand out for Valentine's Day.
You can find the recipe here: Heartshttps://www.littlehiccups.net/2020/01/strawberry-meringue-hearts-for.html
Squishy Marshmallow Hugs
Have you ever made marshmallows before? They're surprisingly easy to make at home and they taste delicious. We made vanilla marshmallows and covered them in pink and white shredded coconut, but you could easily made them any color and flavor you like.
You can find the marshmallow recipe along with the header card template in this post:
Valentine, You're a Catch
The year that Lola handed out home made marshmallows to her classmates happened to be one that Ava's class had a strict "no candy" rule, so that meant that she couldn't hand out the marshmallows that we made. Instead she handed out little packs of Goldfish crackers labeled "Valentine, You're a Catch". I don't have a DIY for this one, but they're pretty easy to put together. Just take a pic of your kiddo holding their hand out and up as if they're holding something, print it with the words "Valentine, You're a Catch", poke a twist tie (or a piece of string) through either side of their raised hand in the pic, and attach a little bag of Goldfish crackers. Simple but super cute!
Valentine Bead Hearts
These little Perler bead hearts were a fun activity to make - and they're super simple too! We kept them simply as bead hearts but they could easily be added to hair clips or pins as well. I used a hot glue gun to attach the hearts to the backing card, but you could also use adhesive dots like the ones I used with the Melody Pops above.
You can find the DIY and card backing template here:
Valentine, You Rock!
Last year we went with a rock theme for Valentine's Day. Mathilde's Valentines box was made to look like crystals and Lola's was made to look like a geode. To stick with the theme they gave out Pop Rocks candy. I added a simple header card with "Valentine, You Rock" on the top.
You can find the header card template here.
Seeds of Love
For a candy free option, we gave out little packs of native wildflower seeds one year. I bought a large pack of seeds and we divided them into small glassine bags. Ava designed a label with the words "Seeds of Love" for the front and I included a card with the planting directions.
You Blow Me Away
Another food free Valentine! Balloons are always a hit with little kids, and what could be better for Valentine's Day than heart shaped balloons. I made baking cards in the same way as the Goldfish Valentine's above but this time I added mini balloons and the words "Valentine, You Blow Me Away".
Sweet Heart Cookies
Our first ever Valentines! When Ava was in preschool we baked little heart shaped sugar cookies covered in sparkly red and pink sugar. I placed them in little cellophane bags and added a topper card with Ava dressed as a baker and the words "Sweet hearts for my Sweetheart".
Valentine, I Dig You
Mathilde was obsessed with diggers as a toddler so we made these little cards for her to hand out to friends. No candy or treats attached; just a cute pic of a digger loving kiddo in her favorite digger dress holding her favorite toy digger!
Valentine's Boxes
Valentine's boxes are a relatively new thing for us as the kids always just made them with their class when we lived in California. I was always a little jealous of the people I'd see online making them with their kids, so I was excited to learn that the kids had to make them at home when we moved to Colorado. Because of this, we've only ever made a few and I don't have many DIYs to share with you.
Let's take a look anyway...
Our first ever home made Valentine's boxes. Lola and Mathilde made these fun rainbow boxes our of cardboard, masking tape and lots of tissue paper. We've still got them on display at home three years later!
You can find the DIY here: https://www.littlehiccups.net/2020/02/a-rainbow-valentines-box.html
Mail Box
True to my always last minute crafting form, this mailbox was mostly made in the evening when the lighting was bad and I didn't have time to take step by step photos for a DIY. It was pretty simple to make though and is basically just a box with a piece of cardboard curved over the top, and a door and mail slot cut out. I covered it with masking tape. Lola has has this sitting outside her bedroom ever since.
While I don't have a DIY for this one, you can see a similar mailbox I made for the kids a decade ago here.
Minecraft Chest
Just like Lola's mail box, I made this one for Mathilde at night and didn't take any step by step photos for a DIY. It was also made out of a cardboard box and lots of duct tape in various shades of brown.
Mathilde still uses this one in her bedroom to store all sorts of random things that she collects.
Crystal Box
Mathilde's Valentines box from last year is probably my favorite! Once again, I mostly made it at night, but I do have a few process pics so I'll try and get a DIY up soon. It's basically just a shoe box covered in purple cellophane with crystal shaped cardboard pieces on top. It was pretty simple to make, but it was time consuming. Just like the Minecraft chest, Mathilde has this on display in her room to store treasures.
Geode Box
This one didn't turn out quite how I'd pictured it in my head, but Lola still liked it and her classmates were impressed. I made this giant geode out of papier-mâché on a balloon, added a cardboard top that I covered in cellophane "crystals" and added a base so that it would stand on its side. A little complicated and I just made it up as I went, but hey, that's crafting sometimes! It has a secret hatch in the front to access the Valentines inside.
Valentine's Decorations
Heart Suncatchers
We don't usually decorate for Valentine's Day, but one year we made heart suncatchers for our apartment windows and the kids loved them. Actually, you guys must love them too because the DIY is one of the most popular posts of all time on Little Hiccups! That always seems super weird to me because they're so simple to make that they really don't need a DIY, but I guess it's always good to have something to look at for inspiration. These suncatchers are made of construction paper, clear contact and glitter. Lots of glitter!
You can find the DIY here: https://www.littlehiccups.net/2015/02/valentine-heart-sun-catchers.html
Let me know if you end up making any of these fun Valentine's Day ideas!
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