I love seasonal and holiday picture books, but I have not had the greatest luck with books for Valentine's Day. Maybe I'm just looking at the wrong ones, but I've found most of them to be fairly shallow and gimmicky. [Note from Erica: I totally agree!! See our list of Books for Kids that Spread Love and Kisses Note: this post contains affiliate links that may earn commission.]

So when it comes to Valentine's Day, I tend to stick with books that focus on love and friendship but stay away from mention of the actual holiday.

Earlier this year, my boys and I discovered The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning, illus. Valeri Gorbachev, and although it has virtually nothing to do with Valentine's Day, it's exactly the kind of book I want to read in February.

It's about a little pig named Owen. His granny's birthday is coming up, and when his mom asks him what he wants to send to her, he says, "A GIANT hug." He doesn't mean a picture of a hug or XOXOs or a letter saying he wishes he could hug her. No, he means an actual, physical, real-live hug. And he wants to send it through the mail.

Although the postmaster, Mr. Nevin, admits that they "don't normally send hugs," he agrees to try to mail a hug. Thus begins a hug chain that stretches clear across the country--from postmaster to mail sorter to driver to deliverer. Each character opens his arms as wide as he can and passes along the giant hug. And, as you might expect, the act of receiving and giving the hug somehow seems to brighten everyone's day, even James', a porcupine who is "not the hugging type."

Reading this book will make you want to send a Valentine hug in the mail, but . . . as far as I know, that's against regulation. And yet, it just sounds so fun, so I pondered over how else you could send the feeling of a hug to a loved one.

And then I realized it wasn't necessarily the hug itself that was making everyone happy but the interaction with each other: the greeting, the talking, the physical closeness. It was knowing that someone else was paying attention to you.

My parents live far away, and my kids only get to see them a few times each year. My children would love to do something nice for their grandparents, but the distance between us makes it difficult. But even though they can't help my mom make her bed, they can help each other make their beds, and if I were a grandma, I'd like nothing better than just knowing that my grandchildren were being kind and loving to other people.

And that's when I thought of it--the perfect way to send a "hug" in the mail.

A few weeks before Valentine's Day, I gathered together our supplies:

• butcher paper
• a pencil
• scissors
• markers

I took the butcher paper and cut a 4" x 24" strip of it. Then we folded it across three inches, flipped it over, folded it another three inches, etc. until we had a stack of about seven folds (like a little accordion).

We drew a person on the front, making sure the hands and feet extended to the folds. The good news is you don't have to be an amazing artist for this--you basically draw a stick person but just thicken it up a bit. 🙂

Then we cut it out, being carefully not to cut along the fold. (Because the butcher paper is thinner than regular printer paper, it wasn't too difficult to cut through so many layers.)

We stretched it out and could see the "hug" being passed from paper person to paper person. My kids took markers and gave a happy face to each person.

Now came the fun part. For a couple of weeks, we kept track of any good deeds the boys did. They could be as simple as letting someone go first when washing their hands or as difficult as giving up the last cookie (when you're three years old, that's tough). Then we wrote one good deed on each fold-out person.

We folded it all back up and tucked it into an envelope, along with this mail a hug poem (composed by my husband):

I hope you don't mind this; I did acts of kindness

For people I love around here.

I wrote it all down, mailed my list out of town

As my Valentine's card this year.

It shows what I'd do to say "I love you"

If you were consistently near.

If you want to send some love through the mail, you are more than welcome to use the poem to accompany your own set of paper friends. If you don't want to do it for Valentine's Day, you can easily substitute "birthday present" or "Christmas present" for "Valentine's card." If you have older kids, they might find it fun to see how long of a hug chain they could make.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, brightening up the days of those you love, both near and far away.

Enjoy your Valentine hug!

More Valentine Fun:

• Clever Valentine Cards: 1 template, infinite designs
• Super Easy Valentines for Your Preschool Friends
• Mobius Strip Hearts: A Valentine for Math Nerds

Amy is an avid reader and the mother of four rambunctious boys. Her life goal is to make them as obsessed with books as she is. (Judging from the dozens of books scattered all over her house, she has been successful so far.) She blogs at Sunlit Pages where she writes about a variety of books–from what she is currently reading to her kids’ favorite picture books.

Originally published 2015.

The post Valentine Hug: A Family Craft Project appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Before you print these out, you'll want to decide the following: will each classmate get their own printable sheet with four cute valentine bookmarks to color on their own? Or, will your child color and cut out enough single bookmarks for everyone? A third option is to give a single uncolored bookmark to each child. Which will it be? You decide!

Valentine Bookmark Instructions

Download and print the coloring page (by clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service; see end of post for details*): hearts and love bookmarks

We recommend printing on card stock or other heavy paper for durability, but plain office paper will also work.

Color and cut out!

Read a book and mark your place for future reference!

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

More Valentine's Day Coloring Pages

Want more Valentine's Day coloring pages to mix things up? Give these coloring pages out as another alternative to traditional Valentine's Day cards. Check out the adorable (and free!) coloring pages below:

• Valentine card template to use infinite ways
• Cute classroom valentine cards coloring page
• "Making valentines" coloring page
• Heart Air Balloon mobile craft coloring page

Note: this post contains affiliate links.

Meet Our Coloring Page Artist

Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is.

Melanie's iconic book, Mermaids on Parade, was selected as a Bank Street Best Book, and for the Texas Reading Club and PBS Kids Summer Reading Lists. It was named one of the Top Reprints of 2019 by Fuse#8.

Mermaids on Parade, written and illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg

Read the reviews and testimonials on Melanie's Blog.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Valentine Bookmarks Coloring Page appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Coloring pages are a calming activity for kids, and sometimes get a bad rap for not being creative or inspiring artistic expression, but there is room in a child's life for both process art projects and coloring pages!

Whenever Melanie sends me over the monthly coloring page I always look at it to see if it inspires an activity or craft to extend the fun beyond coloring inside (or outside!!) the lines.  For example, it was so much fun turning this leaf design into window suncatcher! Melanie specifically designed this Valentine-themed page so kids could make their own animals out of the extra heart shapes and I thought, "why not also turn them into puppets!" Perhaps your children will even come up with additional creative ideas!

How to make Heart Animal Puppets

What you need: 

• Heart animals coloring page. Click HERE to download and print the pdf. (By clicking here you agree to our terms of service* see below)
• Colored pencils, crayons, etc.
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Craft sticks

Stick Puppet Instructions:

Print the heart animals coloring page on plain paper or card stock.

Color as desired. No need to use "normal" colors or stay in the lines. Let the kids be free!

Cut out the heart animals and the extra hearts. Kids have varying degrees of scissor skills. Don't fret if they cut out the hearts in a jagged, messy way. Help them only if they ask for help! Don't seek out perfection, you want this to be the child's project, not yours.

Arrange the extra heart shapes as desired to create more animals and creatures (or whatever else they want!). Draw eyes or other features.

Using the glue stick, glue the hearts together to make the animals. Again, help your child if they ask for help. Otherwise, as they get sticky and make a mess, remind yourself they are strengthening their fine motor skills!

Glue the animals made from heart shapes onto the top part of the craft sticks.

Tell stories with your puppets! Play!

More Valentine themed coloring pages: 

• Heart air balloon coloring page and mobile craft!
• Valentine card template - use this template for several card variations
• Sweet double valentine card printable
• Sweet children making a valentine coloring page
• Whale and fish in love coloring page

Meet the Illustrator

Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books and she loves to teach about the art of children's books in the classroom! Her cheerful book, Mermaids on Parade, which depicts the iconic Coney Island celebratory Mermaid Parade, was selected as a Bank Street Best Book, and for the Texas Reading Club and PBS Kids Summer Reading Lists.

Melanie also does wonderful school and library visits where she shares with children the process of writing and illustrating children's books.

The latest news! Aunt Lilly's Laundromat, has now been re-published in paperback. The book takes place in Melanie's neighborhood laundromat on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. You will love it!

“Succeeds as a celebration of fond memory and honest labor.” –Publisher’s Weekly.

To learn more and order choose one of the following:

• For public purchasing
• For library purchasing
• For school purchasing
• For retail purchasing

Are you looking for the perfect book gift? I’m sure you know a kid who likes diggers! Or mermaids? Or subways? Melanie signs all copies of her books purchased through her Amazon vendor link.

*Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Heart Animals Coloring Page and Stick Puppet Craft appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

The list of Valentine math projects includes a variety of ideas. Most are perfect for elementary aged kids, 5 and up although you will also find one or two that preschoolers will also love. And since the projects combine several of the STEAM subjects (math, art/design, and sometimes engineering) the ideas earn extra love! Some of them will decorate your home or classroom and others are perfect for turning into math valentine cards! Best of all, none of these Valentine's day math art ideas use boring worksheets!

Heart tessellations  can be done for fun, or use the instructions as a classroom or after school Valentine's Day math art project. turned into Valentine cards. I admit to being a tessellations nerd and valentine math art is full of love (ha ha ha).

You kids can put their problem solving skills to the test when they attempt to arrange 22 triangles into this heart geometry puzzle. Turn this into a valentine by slipping the pieces into a red envelope and adding a few cupid-inspired words. The triangles can be used to form other valentine shaped math art as well.

Make origami heart bookmarks to show your love of reading and math art at the same time! When you think of origami, you may think of paper crafts instead of math, but math skills are essential. I share two heart bookmark folding methods. I made two videos for those of you who prefer to watch instead of read instructions. I ask you, what book loving friend wouldn't love to receive one on Valentine's Day?

Amaze your friends and family when you demonstrate that "love wins" as you use the magic of topology to turn two Möbius strips into interlocking hearts. Seriously, this clever Valentine's Day math art idea has a big WOW factor!

Science Friday shows you how to make some really cool mathy valentines with hearts. They give you mathematical instructions for graphing heart dilations, heart translations, reflections and rotations! The post has further resources for teachers on how to use the Valentine's Day math projects to adhere to common core standards, a pdf heart-making instruction sheets and links to some other super groovy math art projects. Definitely something to check out!

Babble Dabble Do has a printable for kids to make three dimensional paper hearts. This Valentine's Day project will teach symmetry and think how amazing a room decorated with a bunch of 3D hanging hearts would look!

Similar to our parabolic curve art, Almost Unschoolers shows you how to adapt the idea into a heart string art project that works number skills.

A heart geoboard pattern from Little Bins for Little Hands. I love this idea because geoboards are an excellent tool for working fine motor skills and although kids can make predetermined patterns, like the Valentine heart shown here, free exploration is encouraged. Children will learn about geometry, shapes, patterning and symmetry.

Speaking of geometry, a heart tangram challenge adds a little Valentine love into working with geometry, puzzles and patterns. Tangrams are centuries old dissection puzzles that came out of China. Once you printout the tangram pieces, or acquire a set of wood puzzle pieces (affiliate link), the math art possibilities are endless.

Have you ever heart of Pascal's triangle? It's a fascinating number pattern. Why not give it a Valentine theme with this Pascal's triangle project from Teach Beside Me.

Got advanced mathematicians in the family? Spend Valentines' Day graphing these heart curves.

If your kids are really drawn to traditional arts and crafts projects, these Valentine's Day math art ideas are just the ticket. Get out the paints and construction paper and teach them about symmetry using hearts with this activity for younger kids, or this project for older kids.

There you have it, twelve ways to turn a holiday about LOVE into a holiday celebrating MATH!

The post Valentine's Day Math Art Ideas -- Without Worksheets appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Oh sure, you can dog ear the pages, rely on your memory, or (heaven forbid!) lay the book open while face down! A fun bookmark is not only useful, it can add a bit of whimsy to your reading time. The only objects I avidly collect are bookmarks! I have an assortment of bookmarks I've acquired through purchase, promotional events as well as DIY bookmarks. But sadly, I have yet to convince my kids of their usefulness. I'm afraid they enjoy placing their books open while face down. Gah!

Will these easy origami heart bookmarks change their minds? I doubt a paper craft will be the final catalyst but we can have fun making them! They are also so easy to make. No need to be an origami genius. In fact if your kids have never done origami before, these bookmarks are a good way to start!

You may have seen ubiquitous heart bookmark instructions on Pinterest or YouTube and I have two different folding methods to share with you.

When you get addicted to making these heart bookmarks as I have here are some ideas for what to do with the dozens you now have:

• fold a bunch to give as valentines
• give them as party favors
• eave them in library books
• every time you gift a book to someone, slip one on a page corner

Basically, origami heart bookmarks will shout your love of reading to the world!

Plus, origami folding supports math skills and fine motor development. It also qualifies as a great math art project, especially if you decorate them. There's a lot to love here!

(Note: This post contains affiliate links.)

Heart Bookmark Instructions

Watch my video, or read the folding instructions below.

What you need: 

• Origami paper. The 15 cm/6 inch size is best. We like the double sided paper for extra interest.
• Scissors
• Tape

Method #1 

This folding method results in a more traditional heart shape than the second method, but it does require tape if you don't want it to annoy you every time you slip into onto a page corner.

Fold paper in half lengthwise. (1)

Unfold and cut along crease. (2)

Set aside one half for your second bookmark!

Fold paper up lengthwise. (3)

Fold in half the other way. (4)

Open fold.

Fold both sides up so they meet in the middle. (5)

Flip over and fold down the top about 1 cm or ¼ inch. (6)

Fold in top corners of each flap into a heart shape. (7)

Tape the flappity flapping flaps securely.

Slip on the corner of a book page.

Method #2 

The video below demonstrates a pocket origami method, or use the written instructions, below the video.

The double sided origami paper is especially nice here because the both sides will be exposed on the finished product.

Fold paper diagonally. (1)

Fold again in half.

Open previous fold.

Grab top layer at the peak and fold down so the point touches the bottom fold. (2)

Fold sides in so all three points meet. (4)

Unfold side flaps.

Tuck the side flaps into the pocket. (5, 6)

Cut out heart "bumps" (7, 8)

Obviously you want more ideas:

• If your kids like origami, try our math art transforming ninja stars.
• If your kids like hearts, try this heart geometry puzzle.
• If your kids like bookmarks make these bookmarks that they will never lose!

The post Heart Bookmarks Even Origami Beginners Can Make appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

My kids love brain teasers and figuring out how to fit triangles together to form a heart shape has just the right amount of challenge for inexperienced puzzle-putter-togethers, while still being a satisfying accomplishment for puzzle masters. Plus, who doesn't love a geometry activity or a math art project?

I like it because it may take a moment to figure out the trick, but once you see the pattern, completing the heart is a breeze.

The puzzle consists of twenty-two equilateral triangles. You can use our printable or, for an extra challenge, older kids can use a protractor to draw their own template.

Heart Geometry Puzzle How-To

Solve the geometry puzzle by arranging the pieces into a heart shape! (see the end of this post for a graph of the solution if you need help.

Geometry puzzle solution: 

The post Heart Geometry Puzzle to Make Your Kids Love Math! appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Made famous in popular culture by M.C. Esher, tessellations are repeated patterns in which shapes fit exactly together.  Esher's tessellating patterns are composed of fantastical shapes. Floor tiles or brick patterns are examples of commonly found tessellations. Honeycomb is a good example of a tessellation found in nature. All kinds or tessellations, like our cat tessellations or star tessellations are examples of the way mathematics makes the world fancy!

So for the love of math art, try this heart tessellations art project with your kids! 

Tessellation Video

We've made tessellations before, and if you want to get a feel for what the process is like, you can watch our video:

How to Make Heart Tessellations with a Template

What you need:

• Pencil
• Scissors.
• Protractor (optional)
• Thin cardboard (such as a cereal box)
• Art paper, or art journal
• Art supplies such as colored pencils, markers, etc.

Instructions:

Step 1. Create the heart template. This took a bit of experimentation on our part to find the right angle for the bottom point of the heart. We finally decided on an 80 degree angle, which we drew with our protractor. Be sure that the measurement of side of the heart is twice as long as one of the top "sides" or your tessellations will be off. Our measurements were approximately 6 cm and 3 cm.

Cut out the template on thin cardboard and trace a couple of practice tessellations to make sure your template is accurate. Trim template as needed.

(Somehow I forgot to take a photo of tracing the template. Sorry 'bout that (but you can see it in action in the video above.)

If you are creating the template in a classroom, this is a good place to discuss how to create a perfectly symmetrical heart and how exact measurements are necessary to make perfect tessellations. Creating the template by hand and not a computer means it can be challenging to make a perfect angular heart.

But perfection is not necessary! The slight imperfection of the template and the resulting traced tessellations are a good lesson in how mathematics works in real life.

Step 2. Trace your heart template on paper and tessellate!

Step 3. Color as desired.

Heart Tessellations on Graph Paper

In contrast to the above heart template method, these tessellations will be mathematically perfect. Children can even create them using a computer if you have an appropriate program. However, drawing the heart math art out on paper is also very satisfying.

What you need:

• Graph paper
• Pencil
• Art supplies such as colored pencils, markers, etc.

Instructions:

Step 1. Draw the outline of the heart tessellation as shown and fill the paper.

Step 2. Color as desired.

Step 3. Admire your handiwork.

Heart and Square Tessellations

I really wanted to make tessellations that more closely resembled a traditional heart shape than the designs above. So with some experimentation this heart and square design emerged.

What you need:

• Graph paper
• Scissors
• Art paper
• Pencil
• Watercolors or other coloring medium.

Instructions:

Step 1. Create a template using the graph paper and cut out. Trace template onto thin cardboard as in the first example, if desired.

Step 2. Tessellate hearts as shown. Notice that as you match the sides of the hearts, a square "hole" forms between the hearts.

Step 3. Color as desired!

Step 4. Admire your beautiful math artwork!

There you have it! Heart tessellations three different ways! Even though I encourage you to try this mathematical wonder any time of the year, this math art idea makes a great STEAM project for Valentine's Day.

Know what also makes for great Valentine STEAM inspiration? The STEAM Kids book I co-authored! Chock full of other super duper fun love and heart themed STEAM projects for kids ages 4-10. Learn more about it here: STEAM Kids Valentine's Day ebook.

The post Heart Tessellations: Three Lovely Math Art Designs appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Of course these February read aloud books can be read at any time for they will warm your heart all year long. So break out the hugs and snuggles and get reading. (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

February Picture Books

These February picture books are eminently suitable for the month with Valentine's Day,. For more picture books that celebrate love and matters of the heart take a gander and my list of Valentine picture books about love and kisses.

Love by Stacy McAnulty. On each page, McAnulty begins, "Love is..." Love is a gift, time spent with friends, a shared meal and so forth. The text is simple and children will easily relate to the actions that come as a result of love as shown in the sweet, colorful illustrations which depict a wonderfully diverse group of kids! After you read this book aloud to your children, help them plan ways in which they can show their loved ones how they care.

What Is Given From the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack. A pastor announces to the congregation that they will be making "love boxes" for those in need, for “what is given from the heart reaches the heart.” At first, James Otis, a boy with very little himself, has trouble seeing what he can possibly give a family that lost everything in a fire. His mama turns their tablecloth into an apron and James Otis searches his heart and discovers there is always something you can give someone else. This is McKissack's final picture book. Read it!

My Heart by Corrina Luyken. Beautiful, lilting rhymes describe the myriad of ways our hearts feel and how they change. Hearts can be open or closed, they can feel bright or shadowed. Luyken's evocative charcoal illustrations add detail and charm. This book will resonate with all children (and parents, alike). Not to be missed.

My Heart Is a Compass by Deborah Marcero. Rose is looking for something unique to bring to show and tell. She doesn't know where to look so she uses her imagination and starts to draw maps to help her search for a treasure. She draws all kinds of maps, still thinking she can't find something to share with her friends. So she takes her maps into show and tell and they turn out to be the treasure she was looking for. I'd say this picture book, with its marvelous illustrations, is the treasure you have been looking for!

Mom and Me, Me and Mom (and others) by Miguel Tanco. This trio of books (and I'm guessing a sister version is on the way) are a sweet way to celebrate the special bond kids have with siblings and parents. Spare text and simple but inviting illustrations remind us of the small joys in our relationships with family members.

February Poetry

Love poetry is not just for romantic couples! Share these lively, heart-felt verses with your children in February and all year long.

How Do I Love, Thee? by Jennifer Adams. This lovely picture book is an adaptation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous sonnet. Instead of a romantic love poem, Adams reimagines it as a poem of friendship. The illustrations show a diverse group of children playing outside. The endnotes includes the original poem and a bit about Browning. Delightful.

We Go Together!: A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse by Calef Brown. Extra cheerful word play make these short rhyming poems a delight. Great for younger kids and for sharing one on one.

February Chapter Books

I suppose these February chapter read alouds won't remind you much of Valentines, but they are about love in their own way, and I'm pretty sure you will love reading them. (hee hee)

Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley. This short novel is suitable for reading aloud to children ages 7 and up. I thought about saving this book for one of my summer month read aloud lists but decided that the theme of finding family love was suitable for February. Nix thinks he is a wicked fairy and he is upset when a man moves into the cottage for he thinks the fairy queen will be unhappy about it. Nix plans to drive the man out with pranks and confides in his people-friend, a girl he calls Rose the Wise. But all is not as it seems and Nix learns something about his true self. I like this as a read aloud because children and parents can discuss how reliable they think Nix's narration is, an excellent way to develop reading comprehension.

The Pepins and Their Problems by Polly Horvath. I can't believe I hadn't discovered this gem of a book before now! Oh, how we laughed when reading it aloud. The Pepins and their very fine neighbor Mr. Bradshaw get into very peculiar scrapes while the author breaks the fourth wall, asking the reader to help solve the Pepins' problems. The Pepins are not the sharpest tools in the shed and some of their antics reminded me of the hilarious stories of Chelm. If you want a book that will make your kids laugh, pick this one up next. Suitable for reading aloud for ages 7 and up.

The Prince Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. A few years ago we discovered Velde's book 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos which became one of our favorite hilarious read alouds ever. I've put it on many book lists. The books of hers that I've read tend to be reliable read alouds with crazy antics, funny mishaps, unique characters and plenty of opportunity to try out silly voices. In this novel, a dreamer prince and a practical princess cross paths while he is under a very inconvenient spell and she has been kidnapped. I only wish publishers wouldn't make these covers so gender-oriented because boys will love this story, too. Suitable for reading aloud to ages 7 and up.

The post February Read Aloud Books that Will Warm Your Heart appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

To get the valentine coloring page featured above:
Download and print: (by clicking on the following link you agree to our terms of service* see below) Making valentines coloring page.

Ideas for today's "making a valentine" coloring page: 

Hand out fresh to-be-colored copies in envelopes as valentines. The recipient gets to do the coloring!

Color the page and write the recipient's name in the large heart.

Pass out coloring pages during a classroom or library Valentine's Day party.

Color pages, write words of kindness and encouragement, and then leave them in random locations for people to find as a sweet surprise. (Ideas: in the pages of a book, on a coffee shop bulletin board, on a neighbor's doorstep.)

To get our other valentine coloring pages:

• Spinny heart valentine card to color and make. One template: infinite possibilities.
• "Heart Air Balloon" coloring page and mobile craft
• Sweet and small valentines to color: perfect for classroom valentines!
• Fish in love coloring page

Meet the illustrator:

Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is. Her very popular Mermaids on Parade was selected as a Bank Street Best Book, and for the Texas Reading Club and PBS Kids Summer Reading Lists.

Melanie does wonderful school visits where she teaches kids about the process of writing and illustrating children's visits. Learn more at her website.

Melanie's newest book is Americanly, an ode to all the diverse locations in the United States.  You can order it directly from Melanie here.

I’m sure you know a kid who likes diggers. Or mermaids? Or subways? Melanie signs all copies of her books purchased through her Amazon vendor link.

 *Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Deliriously Sweet "Making a Valentine" Coloring Page appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

But for Valentine's Day with grandma and grandpa you want the kids to make something a little more special than a scribbled signature on the back of a Star Wars valentine. Am I right? But special doesn't have to mean complicated! Today I've got a printable coloring page that transforms into fun homemade valentine cards for kids to make. And BONUS: the Valentine's Day card template can be turned into several different kinds of cards so kids can experiment and make each one as different as they wish!

As with all our deliriously darling coloring pages, this one is designed by children's book author and illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg. (Note: this post contains affiliate links to supplies and books.)

Download and print (by clicking here you agree to our terms of service* see below): VALENTINE HEART CARD

What you need to make the Valentine card:

• Coloring page (see above for download)
• Card stock or other heavy paper.
• Colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc.
• Scissors (these are my favorite kid friendly scissors); or an X-acto knife (grown-ups only, please!)
• Glue stick
• Tape
• String
• Cello sheets (optional)

How to assemble:

• Print out the coloring page.
• Color to your heart's content.
• Cut out the card.
• Fold along middle line.

Continue following directions for one of the card varieties below.

Spinner version:

• Cut out the inner rectangle on the front of the card.
• Cut out the heart.
• Trace the inner rectangle on the back of the card and cut out.
• Trace the heart on that rectangle and cut out.
• Cut a piece of string just shy of the length of the card. Tape ends to inside of card so that string stretches across the opening, lengthwise.
• Glue the two hearts to the string.
• Apply glue the inside of the card frame, close card and press together.

Twist the string and watch the heart spin!

Frame Version:

• Cut out the inner rectangle and heart on the front of the card ONLY.
• Write Valentine message or draw a picture on inside of card.

Optional: Glue clear or colored cellophane to the back of the frame opening. (Below far right.)

Optional: Apply a photo to the inside of the card front so that it appears in the frame opening.

Optional: Create a small accordion with a small piece of paper, glue one end to the back of the heart and glue the other end to the inside of the card so the heart pops up. If you don't cut out the front of the card then cut the heart from a separate piece of paper; then the pop up heart will be a surprise. (Below far left.)

Basic Version:

Instead of cutting out the center rectangle and heart, just color fold and write a heart-felt message inside the card.

Your version: 

Encourage kids to come up with their own design using the template. Will they cut out a window? Fill the card with hearts? Insert a movable part? Experiment and tinker!

More Homemade Valentine Cards for Kids to Make:

• Quick and easy valentines: this is the one to make for the classroom!
• Make a Möbius strip heart valentine for math nerds!
• Make and mail a giant hug valentine
• Printable Valentine Cards - coloring page
• Heart Air Balloon mobile coloring page 

Meet the illustrator:

Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books. Her cheerful, vibrant illustrations can be found in books such as Good Morning, Digger, Down in the Subway and A City Is. Her very popular Mermaids on Parade  was selected as a Bank Street Best Book, and for the Texas Reading Club and PBS Kids Summer Reading Lists.

 *Terms of Service: this coloring page is used with permission from Melanie Hope Greenberg and is for non-commercial use ONLY. You many print out as many copies as you like for personal, library or classroom use. If you would like to share this coloring page, you MUST link to this blog page. It is expressly forbidden to link directly to the coloring page pdf file.

The post Clever Homemade Valentine Cards for Kids to Make appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.