by Calista Sprague

Easy cards for kids to make

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and close friends of the family all feel special when given a handmade gift from their favorite youngster. And art projects provide great learning opportunities for children, addressing fine motor control, writing skills, spatial relationships and more. Art also engenders an enjoyment of creative process, sense of accomplishment and joy of giving to others. Try one of these easy ideas for Valentine cards your children can make with a minimum of help from you.

Cut heart templates of different sizes out of cardstock (large index cards will work). Have your child trace and cut out several from colored paper and doilies. Local stores like the Scrapbook Shoppe have a fabulous selection of papers for an extra touch. (You may need to help with cutting if she’s too young for scissors.) Then give her some blank cards, the hearts and a glue stick. She’ll know what to do!

Cut hearts of different sizes from fresh, new sponges. Your child can dip the hearts in paint and stamp them on a blank card. The overlapping of different colors will create a layered look, but you might designate a particular color for each sponge to avoid a mud effect.

Find colorful swirls, swipes and squiggles from your child’s previous works of art and cut them into heart shapes. Then let him glue the hearts on blank cards. This is even a great project for older kids. Pull his old artwork out of boxes and drawers and create something special to send as a reminder of how much he has grown.

For homemade cards to share with her friends, have her cut out large hearts (5-7” across) out of cardstock or heavy construction paper. In the center of the heart, slice two small, parallel slits about an inch apart on a diagonal, and let her thread a sucker through the holes.

Once the cards are made, ask your child to write a simple Valentine message inside. Too young to write? Give him a stamp with a Valentine message. Or print Valentine messages from the computer (choose a childlike or playful font) that she can paste onto the cards.

Now deliver the cards and count the smiles!