Valentine's Day is just around the corner and kids are getting antsy to send cute little greetings with yummy treats to all of their friends, classmates and family members. Say ‘see you next year’ to boxed Valentine’s Day kits and try one of our fun ideas for homemade Valentine’s or a classroom craft activity to get your little ones excited for the holiday.

1. Sponge Heart Stamps

Start by gathering two or three large sponges and cutting out different sized heart shapes. Pour a small amount of tempera or water-based paint into small cups, make cards out of construction paper and use the sponges to create heart designs in different colors. Once they are dry, let your little ones sign their name.

2. Valentine “Feet” Hearts

Squirmy toddler? If you can get them to hold still long enough, put a small amount of paint on the bottom of their foot. Spread the paint out evenly across their sole and ‘stamp’ their feet onto a piece of paper to create a heart. Pro Tip: Place the heel of the second foot over the heel area and tilt the paper slightly to create the perfect heart shape!

3. Painted Hearts

First, cut a large heart out of construction paper. Next, use Q-tips to dab different colors of paint onto the heart. Use a paintbrush to evenly spread the color or let your little ones use their fingerprints to create designs. Have your children finish off their masterpiece by writing their names on their heart or adding a photograph glued in the center.

4. Tree of Hearts

Using brown construction paper, cut out enough long vertical pieces to create a trunk with branches to place on a classroom bulletin board. Using red, pink, and white construction paper, cut out various sizes of hearts. Have the kids write their names on the hearts and line up to attach them to the tree. You can place the small hearts in clusters to create small flowers.

5. Bee My Valentine

To create the bees, cut out 3 yellow hearts and 2 black hearts. Attach the hearts by alternating in a staggered pattern of yellow, black, yellow, black, yellow. On the top yellow heart, draw the face of the bee. With the red construction paper, make two larger hearts for the bees wings and two smaller hearts to attach to the antennas. Use two short lengths of stiff wire (a white or red bread wrapper tie will work) and attach them to the head of the bee. Finish it off by writing ‘Bee My Valentine’ on the yellow rings and having your little one write their name on the wings.

Try setting up a Valentine’s Day craft station for your children or their classroom. These are perfect indoor winter crafts for families with small children, allowing for quality bonding time and practice for your little one to use their fine motor skills. What’s your favorite part of prepping for Valentine’s Day? Share in the comments below!