Valentine's Day is a wonderful opportunity to let friends, classmates, and family members know just how special they are to you.
This valentine craft idea is fun for both children and adults. The paper-and-ribbon project gives kids practice in folding, drawing, measuring, cutting, writing, "sewing" – and creating! Younger children might need to enlist an adult's help for some of the steps.
For visual cues, refer to the images following this article. (Click on an image to enlarge it.)
Gather the Following Craft Items
- 9" x 12" construction paper in a light color
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Hole Punch
- Marking pens
- Ribbon or yarn
- Paper clips
- Transparent tape (optional)
- Small foil-wrapped chocolate heart or other individually wrapped valentine treat
Make a Heart Template
- Fold the construction paper in half, short sides together. Fold it in half again, short sides together.
- Open the paper and cut along the fold lines.
- Fold one of the small rectangles in half, short sides together.
- Mark a dot one inch from the top along the fold line.
- Draw half a heart shape, beginning at the dot and ending at the bottom edge of the fold. (See illustration 2.)
- Mark small dots 1/4 inch away from the cut edge, beginning 1/4 inch to the right of the folded edge at the top and spacing the dots all around the half heart about 1/2 inch apart, ending 1/4 inch away from the folded edge at the bottom. (See illustration 2.)
- Center the hole punch over each dot and punch a hole through both thicknesses of the paper.
- Open the heart shape to use as a pattern or template.
Cut and Decorate the Valentine
- Place the template on top of one of the small rectangles and trace around it.
- Mark a small dot in the center of each punched hole.
- Place the traced heart on top of another small rectangle and cut around the heart shape through both thicknesses.
- Center the hole punch over each dot and punch a hole through both thicknesses.
- Use the marking pens to write a valentine greeting on one of the hearts (this heart will be the front section of your valentine). (See illustration 3.)
- Write a note on the back section, such as "Surprise inside!" with an arrow pointing to the top center of the valentine. (See illustration 3.)
Assemble the Valentine
- Place the front of the valentine over the back, wrong sides together and having the holes even. Secure the center top with a paper clip.
- Cut a 36-inch length of ribbon or yarn. (if using yarn, wrap a small piece of tape around each end to make it easier to thread through the holes.)
- Thread one end of the ribbon from back to front through the lower left hole and the other end from back to front through the lower right hole.
- Pull both ends until the center of the ribbon is directly between the two holes. Securing the ribbon with a paper clip will make the next steps easier. (See illustration 4.)
- Lace the ribbon from bottom to top on both sides of the heart: Take the end of the ribbon around the edge and insert it from the back to the front and continue in this manner, leaving the last four holes at the top open.
- Remove the paper clips.
- Tuck the small treat inside the valentine and then continue lacing, ending in a bow and neatly trimming the ends of the ribbon or yarn. (See illustration 5.)
Now that you've mastered this craft project, you'll want to make a sweet valentine for everyone on your Valentine's Day list.
Carol Wells - Carol Wells holds a B.A. degree in English. As a freelance writer, she takes the most pleasure in writing articles for children.
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