Here’s a list of handmade Valentine’s Day crafts filled with cute keepsake gift ideas that kids can make for parents, grandparents, and caregivers.
Spoil your loved ones with handmade keepsake gifts from the heart with the adorable Valentine’s Day craft ideas below. I put together this list of Valentine’s Day crafts and gift ideas to make it easy for parents, teachers, and caregivers to find an adorable, keepsake craft to make with children at home or in the classroom. Valentine’s Day gifts for parents from toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, elementary school-aged kids, and teens are always treasured keepsakes for Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa.
Best of all, most of these easy Valentine’s Day gift ideas can also be made by kids for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day, Christmas, or a birthday! If you are looking for inspiration for something special to make for your sweetheart, with step-by-step project tutorials, I recommend looking through these DIY Valentine’s Day gift ideas for Him, Her, or Them. It’s filled with unique Valentine’s Day crafts guaranteed to make someone you love swoon with joy and appreciation.
First published on January 20, 2016, this post, filled with cute craft ideas for Valentine’s Day, is regularly updated to improve the content. Today, it contains much more than the top 10 Valentine’s Day keepsake gift ideas it began with, because my daughter and I are always finding new creative projects to try. For more handmade gifts, you might also enjoy this list of gifts kids can make for parents and grandparents, or this list of homemade gifts for dads.
Benefits of Making Simple Crafts and Homemade Gifts for Valentine’s Day:
Creating Valentine’s Day crafts and homemade gifts offers a meaningful way for kids (and adults) to express love and appreciation for friends, family, classmates, and loved ones. Parents and grandparents love to receive homemade Valentine’s Day crafts from the children in their lives. Handmade gifts for Valentine’s Day often have a personal touch that store-bought items lack, allowing the giver to showcase their love, creativity, and thoughtfulness through a heartfelt craft.
The time and effort spent creating something by hand become memorable experiences for children, making the holiday even more special for both the giver and the recipient. These homemade creations can also strengthen relationships by fostering a sense of connection and care. Crafting allows individuals to convey heartfelt messages and emotions in tangible form, whether through simple Valentine’s Day crafts, personalized cards, unique decorative items, or baked goods such as cupcakes or cookies.
Crafting for Valentine’s Day can also be a fun and cost-effective way to celebrate the occasion. Making Valentine’s Day crafts encourages people of all ages to use their skills and imagination to create unique, personalized tokens of affection, such as thumbprint heart magnets.
Best Valentine Crafts and DIY Gifts Kids Can Make
Find inspiration for the DIY gift you want to make for friends, family, and loved ones with the heartfelt Valentine’s Day craft project tutorials below. You will notice Valentine’s Day crafts for all ages and abilities. Several of these Valentine’s Day craft ideas can be made in the classroom for students to bring home to their parents. Other keepsake craft projects make great homemade Valentine’s Day handout ideas for children to give their classmates and friends.
I organized a few Valentine’s crafts into multiple categories. Each section is dedicated to a different kind of Valentine’s Day keepsake craft idea. Doing so makes it easy to find a unique custom Valentine’s keepsake craft to make for friends, family, and loved ones. Whether you are a parent or teacher who wants to make homemade keepsake gifts for Valentine’s Day with a baby, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, or elementary school-aged children, or are a tween or teen looking to make crafts for your parents, grandparents, friends, your BFF, or favorite teacher, there is a creative project for everyone to try!
Invite the kids to help make any of these heart-themed keepsake gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Grandparents’ Day! Click on the creator of each Valentine’s Day craft and gift idea for complete step-by-step craft project instructions. You might also enjoy these Valentine’s Day Art Projects and painting ideas. Several of the art activities would also make fantastic Valentine’s Day gifts.
Best Handprint Crafts and DIY Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day:
The first category of handmade keepsakes is Valentine’s Day handprint crafts. Handprint crafts are a sweet, heartfelt keepsake gift idea for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparents’ Day. Here’s a list of DIY handprint art projects for kids to make for moms, dads, and grandparents for Valentine’s Day or to say “I love you” any day of the year!
- Salt Dough Hands Keepsake. Stamp hands into heart-shaped salt dough with a heartfelt message, with DIY instructions by Learning and Exploring Through Play.
- Hands and Photo Heart Keepsake. Put a photograph inside a salt-dough frame surrounded by handprints in the shape of a heart with instructions from Teach Me, Mommy.
- Shell Frames with Handprint. Decorate frames with seashells, then place handprint art or a photo inside, using the tutorial by Rhythms of Play.
- Handprint and Footprint Valentine Sign. Make a heartfelt sign with handprints that reads “These Hands Hold My Heart Forever” with DIY instructions by Scrap Me, Baby.
- Salt Dough Handprint Frames. Make a simple handprint photo frame from salt dough with step-by-step craft instructions from Messy Little Monster.
- DIY Family Handprints: Stamp Mom, Dad, and Baby’s handprints together with a keepsake craft idea by Do It Yourself Fun Ideas.
- Kissing Hand Craft with a Handprint and Thumbprint Heart. Stamp handprints on a colored wooden canvas with the easy DIY instructions from Rhythms of Play. (Photo below)
- Handprint Ring Bowl and Jewelry Dish. Make a jewelry or ring dish in the shape of a handprint with DIY instructions by Rhythms of Play.
- Salt Dough Heart with a Handprint and Footprint. Mold a salt-dough heart with a handprint and footprint inside, with step-by-step instructions from Rhythms of Play.
Salt-Dough Footprint Crafts and Gifts for Valentine’s Day:
Like handprint crafts, footprint crafts are classic Valentine’s Day keepsakes that every parent and grandparent should have! The homemade footprint craft ideas below are each made with homemade salt dough. You might also enjoy the cute Valentine’s Day footprint art ideas included in this fantastic round-up of Valentine’s Day art projects and painting ideas.
- Salt Dough Footprint Heart. Stamp a footprint for each of your children into a heart-shaped salt-dough heart using instructions from Roaming Rosie for Hub Pages.
- Valentine’s Day Salt Dough Heart Footprint Keepsake. Learning and Exploring Through Play for Red Ted Art
- Salt Dough Heart with a Handprint and Footprint. Stamp a footprint and a handprint into a heart-shaped salt-dough heart, following the instructions from Rhythms of Play. (photo below)
Handprint and Footprint Valentine’s Day Crafts:
Combine handprints and footprints into one gorgeous keepsake craft perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Grandparents’ Day with the ideas below. Each of these DIY Valentine’s Day projects is shared in one of the sections above. However, I created this separate category for projects that include both a handprint and a footprint for those looking for that type of craft exclusively. Check out this list of handprint and footprint Christmas crafts for more keepsake craft ideas similar to these projects:
- Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Heart Craft | Rhythms of Play (photo below)
- DIY “Love” Sign Handprint and Footprint Valentine Craft | 517 Creations
- Shell Frames with Footprint | Rhythms of Play (substitute footprints for handprints)
Best Fingerprint Art and Crafts for Valentine’s Day:
Fingerprint crafts are a great keepsake gift idea for Valentine’s Day. Even tweens and teens will enjoy making some of these Valentine’s Day crafts. If interested, there are a few more Valentine’s Day fingerprint art ideas in this collection of Valentine’s Day art ideas. Invite children of all ages to make fingerprint art with the Valentine’s Day activity ideas below:
- Thumbprint Heart Magnets: Stamp thumb or fingerprints in the shape of a heart to make refrigerator magnets with DIY instructions from Rhythms of Play. (photo below)
- Fingerprint Love Bug Card Ideas. Learn how to make adorable fingerprint love bug crafts with step-by-step instructions from Rhythms of Play.
- Fingerprint Heart Ornaments. Stamp fingerprint hearts into heart-shaped clay to make Valentine’s Day ornaments with craft instructions by Mum in the Mad House.
- Thumbprint Heart Keychain Charms. Make keychains with thumbprint heart pendants with step-by-step instructions by Rhythms of Play.
- Fingerprint Heart necklaces. Make beautiful thubprint heart pendants for a necklace with instructions on Rhythms of Play.
- Best Fingerprint Art Ideas for Kids. Discover more fingerprint art projects in the round-up of craft ideas by Rhythms of Play.
Cute Thumbprint Heart Crafts and DIY Gifts for Valentine’s Day:
Thumbprint heart crafts are unique fingerprint Valentine’s Day keepsake crafts that kids (and adults) can make. Please visit these thumbprint heart crafts to see several gifts perfect for Valentine’s Day.
DIY Heart Crafts and Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day:
Handmade heart crafts like those listed below also make lovely homemade Valentine’s Day gifts. Invite toddlers, preschoolers, and children of all ages to try any of the Valentine’s Day heart crafts below:
- Personalized Heart Candle Holders: Write a word, such as ‘love,’ or names (Nick + Nell) inside a faux-stained-glass heart with the DIY tutorial by Rhythms of Play.
- Hand-Sewn Heart Beginning Sewing Projects. Sew something lovely in the shape of a heart with the sewing projects featured on Rhythms of Play.
- Best Heart Art Projects (and Cute Craft Ideas, too!). Each art project and painting idea in this collection of art activities on Rhythms of Play includes heart shapes.
- Heart Tree Craft. Paint a tree with hearts with the Valentine’s Day project on Rhythms of Play.
- Watercolor Surprise Heart Art Painting Idea. Create surprise watercolor art for someone you love, or like a whole lot, with art lesson instructions on Rhythms of Play.
- Hanging Heart Prism Suncatcher Craft. Hand-bead a suncatcher with a heart prism hanging at the bottom, with step-by-step instructions from Rhythms of Play.
- Hearts Falling in LOVE Sensory Bottle: Make a sensory bottle with hearts falling in love with the DIY tutorial on Rhythms of Play. (Picture below)
Valentine’s Day Photo Crafts and DIY Gifts:
DIY photo crafts make a great gift idea for your Valentine. The photo craft tutorials below make it easy to make personalized handmade gifts for Valentine’s Day:
- How to Make Picture Necklaces. Learn how to make photo necklaces with picture pendants with step-by-step instructions from Rhythms of Play. (Photo below)
- Personalized Photo Keychain Charms. Make DIY photo charms for keychains with the DIY tutorial from Rhythms of Play.
- Hands and Photo Heart Keepsake. Create a heart-shaped salt-dough heart with handprints surrounding a photograph, following the instructions by Teach Me, Mommy.
- Salt Dough Handprint Frames. Make salt-dough handprint frames with the Valentine’s Day craft tutorial from Messy Little Monster.
Love Bird Crafts for Valentine’s Day:
Love birds are a sweet Valentine’s Day gift idea. Children of all ages can make any of these gifts with help from a parent, caregiver, or teacher at home or in the classroom. Use glass paint to make this simple lovebird craft, or sew some super cute felt lovebirds for Valentine’s Day. Besides, sewing lovebirds is not just for kids — it’s fun to hand-sew one while helping your children. My 6-year-old daughter sewed the red and the yellow lovebirds in the photograph below. I sewed the pink and blue lovebirds.
Love Bug Crafts and Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day:
Making love bug crafts for Valentine’s Day is fun for kids and adults. Below is a list of love bug craft ideas that are so cute they would make anyone squeal with joy:
- Pom-Pom Love Bugs. Discover how to make pom-pom love bug crafts in two easy ways with step-by-step craft instructions from Rhythms of Play.
- Heart-Shaped Love Bug Craft. Make love bugs with heart-shaped heads with the Valentine’s Day craft tutorial from Rhythms of Play.
- Fingerprint Love Bug Cards. Fingerprint love bug cards and crafts are an ideal keepsake gift for Valentine’s Day. Please visit Rhythms of Play for step-by-step instructions for these adorable Valentine’s Day crafts.
- Best Love Bug Crafts for Kids. Choose between several cut love bug crafts to make for Valentine’s Day with the round-up on Rhythms of Play. (Photo below)
Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards Kids or Adults Can Make:
Here’s a cute fingerprint love bug card with several message ideas to personalize your DIY Valentine’s Day cards! I wrote several different card messages you can use to make homemade “Thumb-buggy” cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and a few other occasions. Give loved ones of all ages a card that reads, “Thumb-buggy loves you,” or any of the other greeting card slogans in the step-by-step craft tutorial. Thumbprint heart love bugs also make great homemade thank-you cards and Mother’s Day cards. Visit the DIY tutorial for instructions. Alternatively, look at the Valentine’s Day art activities and painting ideas in the next section. It includes even more inspiration for handmade Valentine’s Day cards.
Valentine’s Day Art Projects and Painting Ideas:
Art with hearts and other Valentine’s Day characters and themes makes a great Valentine’s Day gift. Put paintings in an art storage frame and give them to friends and relatives for Valentine’s Day. Or choose your favorite Valentine’s Day art idea and make homemade cards to send to friends and relatives or hand out to classmates. First, select your favorite Valentine’s Day painting idea from the collection of ideas included here. Next, decorate blank greeting cards with Valentine’s Day artwork. Look at the Valentine’s Day painting ideas below, and the heart art projects in the next section, for several creative ideas.
Heart Art Projects and Painting Ideas for Valentine’s Day:
Here’s a collection of heart art projects and painting ideas for kids or adults to make DIY Valentine’s Day gifts and homemade cards. It’s fun to make surprise heart art, a heart-shaped salt painting, and more! Put your favorite heart painting in a frame and wrap it for someone special for Valentine’s Day. Or decorate blank greeting cards with the gorgeous heart art ideas below for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day!
More Cute Gift Ideas That Kids Can Make for Valentine’s Day:
The homemade crafts and gifts listed below would make great gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparents’ Day, too!
- Handprint Ring Bowl and Jewelry Dish. Make a marbled clay handprint jewelry bowl with step-by-step instructions from Rhythms of Play.
- Fingerprint Art Magnets. Create adorable fingerprint art and turn it into a magnet craft with instructions from Rhythms of Play.
- Four Season Handprint and Fingerprint Tree. Create a handprint tree with a corner for each season with the DIY tutorial from Rhythms of Play.
- Homemade Gifts That Kids Can Make for Parents and Grandparents. Visit Rhythms of Play for several more handmade gift ideas!
Related: Heart Art Salt Painting
Homemade Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas and Crafts
Valentine’s Day keepsake crafts and gift ideas add a special homemade touch perfect for any occasion! This unique collection of cute gift ideas kids can make is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Many of these easy Valentine’s craft ideas would also make great homemade gift ideas for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, or a birthday.
The Valentine’s crafts and gift ideas listed above are all keepsake crafts you can make with the kids. You might also enjoy creating heart art — try this salt painting, watercolor surprise art, or the fun heart arts and crafts in this fantastic round-up of Valentine’s Day art projects.
If you want something you can make for your significant other, check out Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Him, Her, or Them. It includes handmade DIY Valentine’s Day gifts and gift ideas available for purchase in the round-up.
Learn more about Nell Regan Kartychok, author of this round-up of Valentine’s Day crafts and gifts HERE, and Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Fun Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids:
- Heart-Shaped Scavenger Hunt
- Best Valentine’s Day Art Projects
- Surprise Heart Art Watercolor Painting Idea
- Heart Art Salt Painting STEAM
- Gifts for Mom That Will Put You In the Good Book
- Heart Art Projects and Painting Ideas
Related: Rainy Day Activities
These are just so adorable, I’m sure the kids will love making some of these! Thank you for the ideas!
Thanks, Kelly!
I scoured the internet for the best of the best, I’m so glad you like them all. Enjoy! 🙂
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, if you could give your loved ones the world, you would. DIY gifts that come from the heart are as close as it gets. I made a simple jar with 50 scrolls on which wrote reasons why i love my wife. This is awesome when you read this scrolls after 1-2 years past, it’s so nostalgic)
Yes! I agree… homemade DIY gifts are the best gifts! Your jar sounds amazing!
Ok
Some good crafts but homemade are the best from children
I agree, Cool peeps… Homemade crafts make the best gifts from children! Have you tried our thumbprint heart magnets? They are always a hit with mom, dad, and grandparents!