From Toddler to Parent: 3 Valentine's Day Cards to Make in Preschool

As Valentine’s Day approaches, teachers will want to help their students present Mom and Dad with a sweet message of love. These cards are ideal crafts for young children, as they can be assembled without much difficulty under a teacher’s guidance and require just a few basic art materials:

Tissue Paper Heart Card

Materials Needed

• Posterboard paper cut into large heart shapes (1 per child)
• Tissue paper in red, purple, pink, and white
• School glue
• Red crayon

Directions

1. Give each toddler a posterboard heart and some pieces of tissue paper in various colors. Allow the children to tear the tissue paper into long strips or small scraps.
2. Help the toddlers glue their tissue paper pieces onto the posterboard heart. Alternate colors until the entire front surface of the heart is decorated.
3. After the glue has dried, use red crayon to write on the back of the heart, “Happy Valentine’s Day Mom and Dad! I love you, (toddler’s name)”. Don’t forget to date these cards for preserved memories in the future.

Watercolor Valentine Card

Materials Needed

• White or light pink construction paper (1 sheet per child)
• Red crayon
• Watercolor paints and cups of water
• Paintbrushes

Directions

1. Fold each piece of construction paper in half vertically to form a card. Use red crayon to draw the outline of a large heart on the front of each card.
2. Assist the toddlers in using watercolor paints to fill in the middle of their hearts. The children can choose the colors that they wish to use and can paint their valentines using any pattern they would like. After the hearts are fully decorated, allow the watercolors to dry.
3. Open each card and write a Valentine’s Day message for the parents of each toddler.

Family Photo Card

Materials Needed

• Photographs from home, supplied in advance (1 per child, photograph of child with parents)
• School glue
• White or light pink construction paper (1 piece per child)
• Red, bright pink, and purple crayons

Directions

1. Fold each piece of paper in half vertically, and allow the toddlers to decorate the inside of their cards with red, bright pink, and purple designs. Older toddlers can color small hearts on their cards, while younger students can draw freehand patches of color.
2. On the front of each card, paste a photo of the toddler with his or her parents. Above the photo, write “I love my Mom and Dad”. Underneath the photo, write “Happy Valentine’s Day, Love (toddler’s name)” and the date.

Teachers can place the cards to parents inside the classroom mailboxes or cubbies so that moms and dads will get a surprise when collecting their child’s school materials. These simple yet creative Valentine’s Day cards will serve as small tokens of a child’s affection for his or her parents throughout the years.