DIY Valentine’s Day gifts are the answer to the question: How do I make Valentine’s Day special for my kids?
Even though these are all very easy, there’s still a time investment that says “I love you,” along with the ability to personalize the gift.
Best part? You can get all of the supplies at the dollar store, so even if you’re on a budget, this is for you.
1. Use yarn and mini cups to bring Valentine Love Monsters to life.
You’ll need: yarn, mini red cups, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, foam hearts, cardboard, hot glue, and scissors to make these monsters.
To create the main hair poof for your monster, cut a piece of cardboard 3 x 1 3/4 inches. Begin by wrapping yarn long ways around the cardboard approximately 200 times. Tie the yarn in the center on one side of the cardboard. Flip the cardboard over and cut through the middle of the yarn.
Repeat this process for the top hair poof by wrapping the yarn — short ways — around the cardboard approximately 30 times. Tie, and cut through the center on the opposite side.
Turn a mini red cup (found at Dollar Tree) upside down, and use hot glue to attach the large poof, followed by the smaller, to the cup.
Now the fun begins! Give your monster personality by decorating it with googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and foam hearts.
2. Use bath toys and a craft bottle to make a dry frog prince snow globe for kids
Avoid spills, leaks and broken glass by helping your kids make a waterless (aka: dry) snow globe. Use a shatterproof craft bottle, sequins, Valentine’s Day confetti, frog bath toy, bakeable clay, red sharpie paint pen, and hot glue.
Begin by transforming your bath toy frog into a prince.
Draw on a heart “kiss” with a Sharpie. Use bakeable clay from Dollar Tree, or purchase it with a coupon at Michaels, and sculpt a crown for your frog prince. Bake the clay to harden it. Once the crown has cooled, attach it to your frog with hot glue.
Fill your shatterproof craft jar, found in the Dollar Tree Valentine’s Day section, with sequins and Valentine’s Day confetti. To give my frog a little more height in the jar I used a second block of bakeable clay formed to fit inside the lid of my jar, then baked it. With hot glue, attach the clay to the lid and the frog to the clay.
Insert your frog and secure the lid. To prevent kids from opening the jar and making a confetti mess, add a few drops of super glue to the lid.
3. Turn clothespins into candy butterflies with washi tape and googly eyes
4. Make DIY Valentine’s Day gifts with your kids — googly eye love bugs
5. Use baking cups to make an edible lollipop flower arrangement
Instead of spending money on an expensive floral arrangement, use baking cups and your valentine’s favorite kind of lollipop to make your own!
Begin by laying out six regular size baking cups. Fold four of them in half displaying the colorful side on the outside, and leave two lying flat.
Hole punch the center of each of the four folded baking cups approximately 1/4 inch from the folded edge.
Punch one hole in the middle of the two remaining baking cups.
Take one small candy size baking cup, and punch a single hole in its center.
Insert the small baking cup onto the stick of your lollipop, colorful side facing up. Follow that with four folded papers, overlapping a fourth of the baking cup each time to form “petals.” Finish by adding the two open baking cups, colored side up.
