I love Valentine’s Day even though my husband keeps reminding me that it’s just a Hallmark holiday. I have fond memories of making mailboxes in elementary school to hold all of the class valentines I’d get. Back then, valentines were simple and you’d consider yourself lucky if you got a few conversation hearts inside the envelope of a Care Bears valentine. Last year my son came home from school with a Trader Joe’s bag full of goodies that included fun things like bubbles, stickers, and healthy snacks.

When my oldest was still in preschool, it was still socially acceptable to have simple valentines so I came up with this version of a valentine that I used to make with my mom when I was a kid. We used pixie sticks for the “arrow” through the heart, but I found a healthier alternative so that 3 year olds wouldn’t be drinking straight sugar.

First, I had my son paint however he wanted to on a few sheets of white card stock (tip: always use water-based paint and tape the paper down to the table). Also, the paper will curl naturally from the paint, but to prevent it from curling too much, don’t water down the paint.

Next, I made a heart stencil from another piece of cardstock and traced and cut out as many hearts as I could from the painted sheets.

Lastly, I attached some stick-like snacks I found at Target and Trader Joe’s. The chocolate was for the teachers, of course. The Cliff fruit batons were for the kids. They have other brands too, or you could also use a fruit roll. Just punch holes in the card stock (4 holes total) and use yarn to tie the goodies on to the card stock. I printed out a circular label with “Happy Valentine’s Day” so I wouldn’t have to write it 20 times.

Give it a try! Especially great for giving to family members because you can tell them your kid painted it all by themselves!