One of my favorite activities to do with my toddler is book-based crafts. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and one of our favorite Valentine’s Day books is “Love Monster.” Crafting your own Valentine’s Day “monster” is easy, fun, and is a wonderful activity to do with your toddler or school-aged children. This craft doesn’t require many materials. You can get crafty with whatever you have on hand.
Recommended Materials:
Heart-shaped cutout (select durable paper or cardboard cutout)
Hole Puncher
Elmers Glue
2-3 Paints (Non-toxic)
Small paper hearts or foam hearts
Googly-eyes
Pipe cleaner
Yarn
Paint Pen
Pom-Poms
Making Your Monster:
Paint the hearts. Let your little one take the lead! Allow the paint to dry (or use a hair-dryer to expedite the process.)
Hole punch and cut pipe cleaner in half.
Twist the pipe cleaner to make “arms.”
Eyes:
Glue small heart-shaped foam cutouts and apply googly-eyes on top.
Mouth:
Make a “smile” (or whatever facial expression you choose!) with Elmers Glue. Apply a pipe-cleaner or yarn for the mouth. Use a paint pen to draw monster teeth. We used a metallic calligraphy pen.
Hair:
You can use whatever material you have handy. Yarn, string, pipe-cleaners, heart cutouts, etc. all make for fun “hair.” A few of our monsters had “pigtails” which were just tassels purchased from JoAnn Fabrics.
When you’re done, pass them out to loved ones or string them up as a garland or classroom display!
