Hearts, Hearts, Hearts... Valentines Activities

With Valentine's Day approaching there are so many activities you can create!

 

Keep in mind that all of the ideas below can be done with other shapes as well,

such as eggs, stars, circles, etc.

 

 

1.  Puzzle - Do you have two Valentine's Day cards left over?  Why not create a puzzle?  Glue or tape one card onto the front of an envelope.  Cut the second card into pieces (less pieces for a younger child, more pieces for an older child).  Store cut pieces inside the envelope and remember to write on the envelope back how many pieces are in your puzzle. 

 

 2.  Draw a thick dark line shape of your puzzle outline with a marker or crayon onto a plain piece of paper.  Card stock or cardboard works best.   Cut apart your shape and store the pieces in an envelope or plastic bag.  Make sure you write down how many pieces are in your puzzle somewhere on the outline piece .  Remember, younger children need less pieces and older children enjoy more pieces.

3.  Cut out any number of heart shapes.  Cut those shapes in half with different patterns.  Put together the broken hearts.(This is great for egg shapes too.)  Stickers and/or a kiss can be added to the different sides of the hearts to assist in putting the puzzles together.  Find an appealing container to hold your broken hearts.  Empty candy boxes make great storage containers for heart games!

 

 4.  Using wall paper samples, construction paper, wrapping paper or fabric, cut out two of each pattern or design.  Cookie cutters are great help to draw your shape. 

This can be a lotto game where every shape is upside down and the players take turns trying to find pairs. 

Younger children are challenged with just finding the two that match. 

To pair children into partners:    Randomly pass out hearts and ask children to find the person who has the heart that matches theirs.  Or, take one set and hide them in the room.  Pass the other set out to the children and have them go on a scavenger hunt to find their match.

Have Fun! 

This blog post was inspired by the book:
Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes :
Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa available from Amazon.com

180,full color, pages of non-stop fun!

Things I LOVE About You Gift

 

I love Pinterest!  It has such wonderful ideas. 

Below is an idea for a very special gift.  It is meant for your boyfriend/girlfriend or husban/wife.

But, it would be a wonderful gift to give each of your children, grandchildren, parents, special friend or anyone else that is special in your life.

 

What a treasured gift this would be.  To think someone took the time to create something so special!

This gift is personal, thoughtful, inexpensive and easy to do.  A little time consuming, but much more appreciated than most gifts you could purchase!

 

Do you have a deck of cards lying around that have missing cards?  You do not have to complete an entire deck of 52 cards.  You could even split up a deck into suites (hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds) for four different people.  Personalize the front with their name and pictures of their favorite things.  Leave off the number and just entitle it "Things I Love About You". 

 

Have fun and be creative!

 



photo source:  http://visualheart.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/52-things-i-love-about-you/

 

 

Broken Hearts

   

Broken Hearts Matching Game

Create heart warming activities this Valentine's Day 

with red construction paper,stickers and a pair of scissors. 

Here's how:

Idea Number One:

Decide how many hearts you would like in your game.  Trace and cut out hearts that are all the same size.  Cookie cutters can be used to make a heart shape.

Add a lipstick kiss in the middle of some hearts (or maybe just one!) and a Valentine's sticker in the center of the remaining hearts.  Randomly cut the hearts apart using a different cut on each one.

Mix up the pieces and it is then time to let the children put the hearts back together.  

The kind of cut and the sticker in the middle give children clues on how the pieces fit together.

Storage:  Use an empty holiday candy container for storage and 

you have a game that will provide lots of fun for many years.

Idea Number Two:

Using a thick marker, trace a heart shape onto a piece of card stock (the back of a cereal or other food box would also work).

Cut out another heart the exact size from any color paper  (red, pink or lavender are nice colors for Valentine's Day).

Cut out the colored heart in random pieces.  

*Remember the older the child the more pieces, the younger the child the less pieces. *

 A toddler may have 2 or 3 pieces, a five year old may have 6 or 7 pieces and an older child may have many more pieces.  Design your puzzle for the child's age.

Put the puzzle together by placing the pieces inside your heart shape. 

STORAGE:  Pieces can be stored in a plastic storage bag or envelope.  

An envelope can be taped to the back of the puzzle board.  

A plastic bag can be attached at the corner with a brass fastener.

Candy Cane Art

Did you have lots of candy canes left over from Christmas?  

Are you tired of moving them around in your pantry?  

Here is a way to "re-purpose" your extra candy canes.

Use leftover candy canes to make hearts for Valentines' Day.

Use the hearts for creative name tags on gifts.

Leave messages of love in crazy places for your loved ones to find.

 

 

 

A heart center can be created out of a piece of pretty stationary/computer paper.

What other ideas can you think of?