Valentine’s Day crafts and activities for preschoolers

These 21 Valentine’s Day activities cover crafts, cards, decorated boxes for the class card exchange, party games, a sensory bin, math, and kindness activities. They are for children aged 3 to 5, and most suit kindergarten too.

There are also seven picture books and three songs set to familiar tunes, plus a simple party plan and a five day week plan. Everything is built around friendship, so it works for every family. If some of your families don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, run it as a friendship week and keep the cards optional.

Valentine’s Day crafts for preschoolers

February is a good month to keep the scissors and glue out. The first four crafts start from free printable Valentine shapes made with our cutting practice tool. Print them on white or light colored paper.

1. Thumbprint love bug card

Cut out the love bug. Children press a thumb onto a red or black ink pad, or dab it in a shallow dish of paint, and print spots across the back. Add two dots for eyes with a marker. Fold a sheet of colored paper in half and glue the bug to the front. Have a grown-up scribe “I love bug you” inside. Have wet wipes ready. Thumbprints travel.

2. Envelope surprise card

Cut out the envelope shape and glue only the sides and bottom to a piece of paper, so the top flap still opens. Before gluing, children draw a picture on the paper that will sit behind it. Then they glue the flap closed with one dot of glue and the recipient lifts it to find the drawing. Most children draw a person, a pet or a rainbow. Ask each child who it is for before they start so the drawing has a reason.

3. Cupcake sprinkle card

Cut out the cupcake, then spread a thin layer of glue across the frosting and press on sequins or small foam shapes for sprinkles. Add a paper heart on top as the cherry. Sequins are small, so use them with children who no longer put things in their mouths, and keep an adult at the table. Torn bits of tissue paper make a safe swap for anyone who is still mouthing.

4. Coffee filter hearts

Flatten a coffee filter and color it with washable markers in pink, red and purple. Spray it lightly with water from a spray bottle and watch the colors bleed together. Let it dry. Then cut it into a heart shape, or cut the printed heart and glue the filter behind it as a stained glass window. Tape a few to the classroom window so the light comes through.

Valentine cards preschoolers can make

Keep cards to about fifteen minutes. That’s better than an elaborate card an adult has to finish. These three need very little prep.

5. Handprint heart card

Trace a hand in pencil on pink paper, cut it out, and fold the thumb and fingers so two hands make a heart shape when pressed together. Or simply press two painted hands side by side on a folded card so the thumbs meet at the bottom. It makes a good keepsake for a family member.

6. Sponge heart prints

Cut kitchen sponges into small hearts ahead of time. Children press them into shallow trays of red and pink paint, then stamp them onto folded paper. Put one sponge in each color so the colors stay clean, and give each child a damp paper towel for their fingers.

7. Name practice cards

Write each child’s name in light dotted letters on the inside of a plain card, and have them trace over it with a marker before they decorate the front. For extra practice sheets in the days before the exchange, print name tracing worksheets. A child who can sign their own name on every card feels very capable on party day.

Valentine box ideas

Many preschool and kindergarten classes run a card exchange, and each child needs a box or bag to collect their cards. These six are cheap, and a 3 to 5 year old can mostly decorate them without an adult doing the work. Whichever you pick, a few practical things matter more than the design.

• Send a class list home a week or two before so families can address the cards. A list means nobody gets left out.
• Print a name label for every box with the name tag maker so no one has to guess whose is whose.
• Keep the boxes about the same size so they fit on one shelf.
• Open them at the party, not before. Cards that arrive early get peeked at.

8. Shoebox mailbox

Cover a shoebox lid and base in plain paper or paint. Cut a slot in the lid for cards. Children glue on the mailbox shape from the printable set, add stickers and hearts, and write their name on the front. It’s the simplest box here, and the sturdiest.

9. Tissue box monster

Cut a slot into the side of an empty tissue box. Glue on paper teeth and googly eyes, then add a few pipe cleaner arms. The opening on top is the monster’s mouth. Cards “feed” the monster. Children enjoy posting cards one at a time all week.

10. Cereal box robot

Tape the top of an empty cereal box shut and cut a slot in the front. Cover it in foil or gray paper. Children draw buttons with markers and add paper circle eyes, then use a heart for the robot’s power button. Accordion fold a strip of paper to make the arms.

11. Paper bag Valentine

A plain lunch bag with a folded top is the quickest option. Children add hearts and stickers, then decorate with stamps. An adult staples on a paper handle. Bags are easy to carry home and they fold flat in a backpack. Bags are better than boxes for a class with limited storage.

12. Love bug box

Paint a small box red, add black thumbprint spots using the thumbprint technique from craft 1, then glue on pipe cleaner antennae. Cut a slot in the back. Pair it with the thumbprint love bug cards in activity 1 if your class has already made them.

13. Heart covered milk carton

Rinse a half pint or quart milk carton and tape the top flat. Cut a slot in one side, then cover it entirely with red and pink paper hearts, torn or cut. The hearts can overlap and cover the carton from corner to corner. It’s hard to get this one wrong. Wash and dry the carton well before the class uses it.

Valentine’s Day games for preschoolers

Keep party games short and noisy. Nobody loses. Each of these three takes about ten minutes. Run the classroom timer so turns stay short, and see our 50 free preschool group games when you need more.

14. Heart hop

Tape paper hearts to the floor in a winding path. Children hop or step from heart to heart without touching the floor in between. Put different colors in a pattern and ask the class to follow it: pink, red, pink, red. Use fewer hearts for threes.

15. Pass the heart

Sit in a circle and pass a stuffed heart or a paper heart in a bag while music plays. When the music stops, whoever holds it says something they like about the person on their right, or names a friend and gives a wave. Keep the pauses short so no one waits long.

16. Valentine mail carrier

Give one child a bag of cards, or a stack of paper hearts with names written on them. They walk around the circle delivering them to the right friends. Everyone gets one, so make sure the stack matches your class list. Use the same game to let children practice reading each other’s names.

A Valentine sensory bin

17. A heart bin

Fill a shallow tub with dry red or pink rice. Shredded pink paper or crumpled tissue work too. Hide paper hearts and foam hearts in it, along with scoops and small cups. Children dig for hearts and sort them by size or color. Leave time for scooping too. Use shredded paper in place of rice for any child who still mouths things.

Do not use candy conversation hearts in the bin or anywhere else for children under four. They are small and hard, which makes them a choking hazard. Keep an adult beside the bin and put it away when the children finish.

Valentine math

Paper hearts give you a free counting set. Cut out a few dozen from red, pink and white paper, and keep them in a basket.

18. Count and sort the hearts

Set out a bowl of mixed paper hearts and three trays. Children sort by color, then count each tray and say which has the most. Older children can write the number next to each tray, or compare two trays and say which has fewer. Paper hearts are safer than candy, and they can be reused all week.

19. Heart patterns

Lay out a simple pattern with paper hearts: red, pink, red, pink. Children copy it, then add the next two hearts. Fours and fives can try a three color pattern or make their own for a partner to continue. Glue the finished patterns onto a long strip and hang them as a border.

Friendship and kindness activities

These Valentine’s Day activities teach children to notice what friends do well. Every family can join in.

20. The kindness heart jar

Cut a heart for each child. Whenever someone sees a kind act, they tell a teacher, and the teacher writes it on a heart and drops it in a clear jar. Read the hearts aloud before home time. Kindness is easier to teach when you point at it. Add the heart to the jar even when the helper is not a child, such as a bus driver or a friend from another room.

21. Friendship compliments circle

Sit in a circle with a paper heart. The child holding it says one nice thing about the person on their left, or the teacher gives a simple frame: “I like it when you ___.” Pass the heart on. A shy child can wave or point instead of speaking. Start with something easy, like a favorite color, and build up to kind acts.

Valentine books for preschoolers

Seven picture books for the week, with a quick way to use each one in class.

The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

A girl named Cornelia Augusta gathers the hearts that fall from the sky and uses them to make a valentine for each of her friends. Read it, then hand out paper hearts so children can make a card for a friend. It pairs well with the heart bin.

Love Monster by Rachel Bright

A monster looks for somewhere to belong among the cuddly residents of Cutesville. He doesn’t fit in. He keeps searching. Use it to talk about being different and how a friend can turn up when you least expect it. Pair it with the tissue box monster.

Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney

A short board book about sharing hugs and heart cards. It is a good one for the youngest children. Read it at circle time and ask how each child likes to show love to a friend.

Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day Is Cool by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete decides to make valentine cards for his family and friends. Use it as a lead in to the card making section. Children can name who they would make a card for and why.

The Night Before Valentine’s Day by Natasha Wing

A rhyming story about getting ready for Valentine’s Day, with children cutting paper hearts and decorating them. It is a natural fit for the day before your party. Ask children to join in with the rhymes.

Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A short book that uses pictures from the series to say why someone is special. Read a page, then ask children to say why a friend is special. It works well just before the friendship compliments circle.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Two hares take turns trying to outdo each other in saying how much they love each other. Stretch arms wide, then wider. Children usually want to try it themselves, and it makes a calm last read of the day.

Valentine songs for preschoolers

Hand out paper hearts for the first song. These songs put new words to tunes children already know, so they can sing along on day one. For more, see our preschool songs page.

A heart for you (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Little heart, I give to you,
Here’s a card with colors too.
Thank you for the things you do,
You are kind and I like you.
Little heart, I give to you,
Here’s a card with colors too.

Actions: hold a paper heart in both hands, then hold it out to a partner on “give to you”. Tap your chest on “I like you”.

Card for you (to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

I will make a card for you,
Card for you, card for you,
I will make a card for you,
A little gift from me.

Actions: pretend to draw a card, then fold it and hand it over. For the next verse, change “make” to “bring” or “send”.

Wave to a friend (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Wave, wave, wave to friends,
Smile and say hello,
Happily, happily, happily, happily,
Friends are good to know.

Actions: wave to a neighbor, then to a friend across the circle. Finish with a hand on your heart.

A simple class party plan

Forty-five minutes to an hour is plenty for a Valentine party with children aged 3 to 5.

• Start with a short game, like heart hop, to burn off energy.
• Open the boxes together, at the party, with a few at a time so nobody feels crowded. Read the name on each card aloud.
• Run a quiet craft or the sensory bin while the cards are being read.
• Finish with a snack and a calm song.

For the wind down, play something soft with the calm classroom music player while children look through their cards.

A note on snacks. Check allergies before you plan anything, and ask families to send only labeled, store bought treats if your school allows food at all. Fruit and cheese cut into hearts are easy ideas. Skip conversation hearts and hard candy for anyone under four, and cut grapes lengthwise for the smallest children.

A Valentine week plan you can copy

• Monday: read The Day It Rained Hearts. Make the thumbprint love bug cards. Learn A heart for you.
• Tuesday: open the heart bin. Count and sort paper hearts. Read Love Monster.
• Wednesday: decorate Valentine boxes. Practice names with the name tracing sheets. Learn Card for you.
• Thursday: heart hop and pass the heart. Make envelope surprise cards. Start the kindness heart jar. Read Llama Llama I Love You.
• Friday: the party. Open boxes, play Valentine mail carrier and sing Wave to a friend. End with Guess How Much I Love You.

For a printable grid, open the free preschool lesson plan template and pick the weekly layout.

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