Children love to be creative and are especially proud of gifting an item they’ve made themselves. With a little planning and some basic craft materials, parents can help kids make beautiful Valentine greetings for their special people.
Homemade cards are fun to make at any age and offer a chance to infuse each with creativity and personality. Construction paper and doilies, safety scissors, colorful crayons or markers, and a couple of glue sticks make unique handcrafted greetings.
For younger children, a heart shape drawn on a page and filled with small pieces of colorful paper is a fun project to work on. Older children can cut out construction paper hearts and decorate them with beads, yarn, elbow macaroni, craft paper, or any decorative item found at home.
Consider letting them use mixed materials like fabric, felt, and twine for a truly custom look. A simple craft paper cone embellished with decorations can hold fresh flowers for a special Valentine. These are easy to make, and the gift is thoughtful and colorful.
Consider substituting chocolate for flowers to delight that special someone with a sweet tooth. Older kids love to bake. A plate of homemade Valentine cookies is a great gift. A simple cut-out cookie recipe, and some frosting and sprinkles brings this treat to life.
Set aside a workspace and allow kids to roll out the dough and cut out heart shapes to place on a cookie sheet. Once out of the oven and cool, cookie decorating is always a hit. Let imaginations run wild as they create perfectly imperfect, yummy treats and gifts.
Help indulge the pride children feel when they offer a handmade gift to friends and family. Crafting and creating is so much fun, you may begin a new Valentine tradition.
Easy Cut-Out Cookies
Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions: Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture. Sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out dough and cut to 1/8 th inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters.
Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake on a greased cookie sheet until lightly browned. (Approximately 10 minutes) Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles before baking if desired. Frost when cool after baking.