We all want to be that Pinterest mom and make fun holiday crafts with our kids. But who has the time and energy? Well, I’m going to show you how easy it can be and why is looks so awesome in photos, even if said craft lasts for only 5 minutes. I tend to overdo it with…most things. Lol! Even when I tell myself to go the simple route, I still end up trying to take on too much and get stressed and overwhelmed (imagine if I didn’t aim for simple!). We planned a Valentine crafting playdate with our kids and I set out to find a few fun crafts and activities. I think we did 2 out of 5 crafts I came prepared for and one activity. Lol! It’s hard to let that preschool teacher mentality go – always have more activities planned than you need! These are a few fun things we found.

Valentine Crafts & Activities

Sensory Rice Bin

This was probably the most involved activity as far as preparation, but don’t let it intimidate you! It was also the most “worth it”. Even though it was a bit messy, the kids absolutely LOVED it and spent a good amount of time playing in it…at least 20 minutes, which is hours in toddler time. They would’ve played longer, but the rice was having trouble staying inside the box…by which I mean, the kids were throwing it everywhere. So be prepared for that possibility!

I grabbed a 5 lb bag of white rice, mixed up about a half a cup of white vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring and mixed it all together in this plastic bin. More vinegar and food coloring would get you closer to red, but I was out, so we settled for this light pink color. The red measuring cups and glitter heart table scatter were from the dollar store. The heart shaped cookie cutters and measuring spoons I already owned. Anything heart shaped or pink can go in the bin! Anything they can scoop with or pour out of is a great toy to add. I also threw in some essential oils to cover up the vinegar smell. It turned out pretty well! This can be a really relaxing activity – best for one or two children at a time.

Heart Shaped Sun Catchers

This is my absolute favorite craft to make with little ones. You just take some clear contact paper, cut it into a heart shape, peel back the paper and stick! We used tissue paper squares and sequins to decorate. Sandwich with another heart shape of contact paper and hang in your window! All of these items were found at the dollar store so this craft cost a whopping total of $3 and there were plenty of supplies left over. I found dollar store GOLD with these tissue paper squares that were precut in a package! Amazing! You can certainly buy tissue paper and cut it yourself (it isn’t really that difficult) but I am all about eliminating a step in the pursuit of simplifying my life.

Love Bug Paper Crown

Our lovely friend Erin came across this craft and we all fell in love with it. I’ll just be honest, by the time we got to this craft the kids were over it. It was getting close to naptime and they were happily playing. We took this opportunity to sit down at the table and make them for the kids ourselves! With some white construction paper, stickers, markers and pipe cleaners, it’s another simple, easy craft. Especially for preschool age or older children, it’s a quick little craft that’s really fun to make AND wear.

So that’s about all we got to do. It was plenty and we all had a blast! I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t sit down much during our playdate. With two little ones, and facilitating crafts, I stayed pretty busy. But after the experience and the photos we were able to capture, I’m so glad we did it! Here are a few tips I’ll leave you with if you decide to do something similar with your kiddos.

Tips for Being That Pinterest Crafting Mom

Keep it SIMPLE. Seriously, do. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. At the same time, just a little extra thought and effort can produce something super cute. So take it a step beyond paper and crayons and make a love bug crown! Or make a potato stamp and let them go to town with some {washable} paint.
Make it age appropriate. If you mess this one up, you’ll know right away. If you’re both frustrated and no one is having fun, it’s probably not an age appropriate craft. Always go younger than you think they are ready for and you’ll probably be right on track.
Be realistic. Don’t plan 5 different crafts for toddlers (like me!). It may only take a few minutes to complete each one, but one or two are plenty for any one given day.
Let them be kids. Let’s just be serious. They aren’t going to do it “right”. That’s ok! It’s much more about the experience and the time spent together than the finished product. Keep that in mind and you’ll be able to do number 5.
Relax and have fun. This is really important. If you can’t do this then it really just isn’t worth it. Go do something else you enjoy with your kids! Not everyone has to be a crafting mom. Some moms are cool sporty moms or cooking moms or storytelling moms. The point is that you are doing something you both enjoy together.
Instagram it! We all know this is part of being “that pinterest mom”. Go ahead! Show it off! You worked hard for that 5 minutes of crafting. You deserve some recognition and come on, who doesn’t want to see those cute kids model their love bug crowns, am I right?? Let people wonder how you can be such a cool crafting mom. And then direct them to this post so they can do it too. 😉