Looking for some Valentine crafts for kids ready for next month?
Here’s one of our favourite Valentine crafts: a Valentine gratitude tree.
I think you can make Valentine’s Day more meaningful for children if you move away from a focus on romantic love and instead think about what you’re grateful for. Ask your children what they love or who they love and you might find their answers surprising. You can capture their passions with this Valentine Gratitude Tree idea.
Start by getting crafty and making lots of hearts. You can let the children decide how they’re going to decorate their hearts, maybe with carrot love heart stamps, crayon resist water paints or using bubbles. Even the youngest ones can join in here if you let them try out a chunky red or pink pencil crayon.
Then on the back of each heart you can write, or draw, something or someone you love. What are you grateful for? You could start each heart with the words ‘I love…’
We like to add a ribbon to each heart and hang them from some branches to make a gratitude tree. Alternatively you could stick or staple them onto a long string to make some beautiful bunting, or hang them vertically to make a cascade display.
This makes a great family or group activity as everyone can take part in the making and contribute ideas to the thanksgiving. We like to make a few extra hearts so visitors can add a thank you to our tree too.
More Valentine crafts
If you’re looking for more Valentine ideas, take a look at our top ten Valentine Crafts for kids.
What a gorgeous idea! I shall do this with my younger two, thank you!
I was just thinking of making something along these lines! =) Now to make it a reality =)
Such a beautiful idea & a great craft for all the family to join in with & share. Can’t wait to make ours – thank you.
Ah what a great decoration and a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s! Lovely!
Maggy
Great idea – always looking more wasys to incorporate gratitude in a fun (not HAVE TO) way!
Blessings!
LIB
http://bit.ly/fallNO
I love this idea so much that I am going to copy it! We do something similar for Thanksgiving, and I’ve been wanted to make some wet on wet water color hearts… this is perfect! Thanks for the inspiration
Amanda
What a fantastic idea. We’re totally going to do this tomorrow.
such a cute idea! I just shared this on my Plaid Punch Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plaid-Punch/174522122593178
Great idea!
Especially for these times when we tend to look at the negative.
What a great idea. You can make it spiritual making it grateful for a way God loves them.
Oh this is a GREAT idea! My girls (3.5 and 1.5) and I just cut out a ton of hearts from their finger-paint paper and wrote the alphabet (uppercase on one half, lower on other half). We were planning on making a garland, but I like your idea better! I’m going to have hubby bring in some small branches and we are going to have so much fun hanging the hearts up! We can write who we love/are thankful for on the back!
http://musingsofmysahmlife.blogspot.com/
I love that you added the idea of gratitude. How thoughtful. We did a similar tree for Valentine’s day, but made it a countdown to Valentine’s instead. I like your twist.
http://handsonhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-countdown-tree.html
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow
I LOVE gratitude activities, and this is a great one! Thanks for all the links, too! I found your post through the Virtual Valentine’s Day Party at JDaniel4’s Mom. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow
Thanks for the feature Deb 🙂
Great idea! Love it!
such a cute & meaningful idea Cathy! 🙂 Rebecca
Oh wow! I hadn’t seen this until just now from the blog hop! I love your tree and the meaning behind it. We made something very similar! http://www.dinosaursandoctopuses.com/2012/02/valentines-day-i-love-you-tree.html We decorate this little branch for every season and typically try to make it special somehow. I’ve really enjoyed looking at all the different ways people make theirs, and I’m always happy to see that the All Seasons Tree is important in other families. Yours turned out beautifully!