Valentine’s Day is right around the corner ? I love holidays because they give me inspiration to mix up our normal activities and crafts, and make them a little more special. Below are a few that we have done. I’d say the only one that can keep your toddlers entertained independently is the heart coloring. The rest will require some help and aren’t great options for entertainment while working. Enjoy!
First up: coloring hearts. For this activity you will need:
- Paper (we used construction paper)
- Scissors
- crayons/colored pencils/paint/finger paint/whatever you have
If your toddlers are independent scissor users, this could be a two part craft! If that is the case, trace a heart on paper and let them cut it out. If not, cut your paper into hearts. Then, just have them color the hearts. Talk about Valentine’s Day and how it’s a day of love. A happy day. This is the simplest craft in the book; sometimes you just need to be reminded that you can do something special with what you have available. With all the brain burnout going on, a simple reminder can be so helpful!
To engage your toddler in cleanup, have them recycle their scrap paper, and put away their crayons.
Next up: handprint/footprint art. For this activity you will need:
- Red construction paper
- white finger paint
- a paint brush
- A damp cloth to wipe the paint from their hands/feet
First, decide what you want your message to be. My fabulous babysitter went with “love lives here” which is a phrase I adore. Next, decide which letters would look good as hands/feet. Then, alternate between the lettering and their hand/footprints until your message is complete.
I lovvvvvvve incorporating handprints and footprints in toddler art. Each piece is its own little time capsule ?
To engage your toddler in cleanup, have them wipe the paint off their bodies, and wherever else it may have landed.
This last one will require your full participation. We made a huge mess making chocolate covered strawberries for Gramma’s Valentine’s Day gift from the kiddos. But it was so fun to watch their individual processes and do an activity as a family. Jim had the night off from coaching basketball and it was so nice to have him home for dinner, activities, and bedtime routine. This activity was worth the mess for the memories made ? I can’t believe how fast my babies are growing up.
For this activity you will need:
- Big, beautiful, clean and DRY strawberries
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- White chocolate
- Drops of oil for melting the chocolate
- Red food coloring
- Something Valentine’s Day related for them to dip (we used red sugar)
- Parchment paper
- Small bowls
- Ziploc bag (and scissors to cut a teeeeeeny tiiiiiiiny hole)
First, melt your semi-sweet chocolate. I add a tiny bit of oil, mix around, and microwave for 45 seconds at 80% power. Stir. Then use 15 second intervals after that until the chocolate is melted and smooth. You do not want to overheat the chocolate. Pour the chocolate into little bowls for your toddler to dip their strawberries in.
When the chocolate is still wet, have your toddler dip or sprinkle the strawberry into the dippable thing you chose. We used red sugar. While they are working on this, melt your white chocolate in the same manner you melted the semi-sweet. White chocolate is finicky and burns quickly, so watch it closely. Once it is melted, add two drops of food coloring and stir it around to get a nice pink chocolate. Pour it into the bottom corner of a Ziploc bag and cut a TINY hole where it is concentrated for piping. Colby loved this part!
We had such a good time making a mess and memories together! And the kiddos were so excited to give Gramma her Valentine’s Day gift!
To engage your toddlers in cleanup, have them transfer their finished products to a central location to dry, and get them to the nearest sink. Wipes won’t do here, you’ll need warm soapy water to get the chocolate off!
I never “got” Valentine’s Day as a teen/adult. But, now that I have babies, I love celebrating love with them. There are so many crafts and activities that are Valentine’s Day related. Which ones do you love? Share below!
Love, Twin Mama Wama
