Celebrate the season of love with these heartwarming ideas
Spread the Valentine’s Day spirit by enjoying some artsy bonding time with your young artists! In this month’s blog post, we’ve gathered a collection of easy, sensory Valentine's Day-themed art activities perfect for making special memories. Best of all, most of these projects use supplies you already have at home or can easily find at the supermarket or dollar store. Kids of all ages will love getting their hands on some glittery slime, fingerprint art, simple “lava lamps,” and more. Let the fun begin!
Rainbow Heart Suncatchers
These multi-colored suncatchers just might persuade the sun to come out and play, even in the middle of February. Plus, they make great gifts for friends and family! Break out your stash of tissue paper left over from Christmas, grab some Mod Podge, and follow this tutorial for easy crafting fun.
Soap Letter Search
Super sensory and a surefire way to keep the kids busy! Whip up a batch of this colorful soap and let your kids go wild digging around for hidden objects. The recipe suggests hiding letter tiles, but the options are endless - small plastic army men, alphabet refrigerator magnets, pinecones, small bath toys, or anything else you can think of that is okay getting wet.
Fingerprint Heart Tree
This adorable fingerprint tree is the perfect sensory experience for any age. Encourage your little ones to experiment with different colors and amounts of paint on their fingers to change the look of their fingerprint “hearts.”
Mesmerizing Bottle Art
Make this super-easy DIY lava lamp with supplies you probably already have in the cupboard. Or try out this bubbly color-mixing bottle that’s sure to get the kids’ “oohs and ahhs.”
Valentine’s Day Slime
What kid doesn’t love messing around with some good old slime? Mix up a glittery, confetti-filled concoction with this easy recipe and watch the grins begin! (Great for kids who are old enough to know not to put it in their mouth.)
Sensory Matching Game
Not in the mood for mess? Create this genius sensory matching game with heart-shaped (or red/pink/purple) balloons! Gather an assortment of sensory materials such as dried beans, hair gel, and sand, then fill two uninflated balloons with each material and knot at the ends. Mix up the filled balloons and have your child squish and match them up based on feel.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Art
We all know what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda. But add some food coloring or liquid watercolors to the vinegar, give your kids some pipettes, and turn them loose to discover the magic of this fizzy, 3-D art. Use Valentine’s Day colors and - if the kids are old enough - challenge them to pipe a heart shape or the words “I love you.” They will have a blast and work on their fine motor skills at the same time!
Candy Heart Frames
Another fantastic Valentine’s Day gift idea - cover inexpensive wooden frames with acrylic paint, then glue on a bunch of candy hearts! Younger kids can design their frame by using specific colors and patterns of candy hearts, while older ones may prefer to choose hearts with specific messages. Check out the instructions here.
Marbled Valentine Playdough
Your kids will love squishing, molding, and poking their way through this sensory activity to create their own heart-warming masterpieces! To create this beautiful marbled effect, wrap logs of pink, purple, and white playdough together and form into a ball. If you want to make your own playdough, the tutorial also includes a super-simple recipe.
Melting Ice Hearts
Pick up a heart ice cube mold and make these melting ice hearts your little ones are sure to love! Food coloring or liquid watercolors make these ice cubes look like giant gemstones. Kids will practice their fine motor skills by using various tools to handle the ice cubes, and can place different colors together in bowls to see what happens to the colors when they begin to melt!
Valentine Sensory Bin
For the ultimate sensory experience, look no further than your local dollar store. All you need is a variety of child-friendly items such as cotton balls, small heart-shaped trinkets, large confetti, or anything else Valentine-y and suitable for small hands to explore. Dump everything in a bin, and invite your child to dig in! After a session of free play with the bin, this tutorial helps you turn it into a fun learning experience by counting, categorizing, and comparing the sensory objects.
Sharing the love of art
There’s nothing like some warm and fuzzy feelings to brighten up the middle of winter. We hope these Valentine’s Day art activities spark special moments of love and connection with your young artists. Whether you end up with gifts for friends and family, heartwarming artwork to hang on the wall, or simply the memories of time spent together, we hope these ideas bring the season of love into your home. Happy art-making, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Sources:
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/valentines-sensory-activities/
https://alittlepinchofperfect.com/the-best-valentines-sensory-activities/
https://www.purewow.com/family/valentines-crafts-for-kids
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