I love a homemade valentine card. There’s something so nostalgic and sweet about the glue pudddles and crooked handwriting that makes my heart swell.

I know it’s easier to buy the little punch out cards. Truth be told, I will do that for the 25 valentine cards that need to go to school. But for the few special people like grandma or a neighbor, these sweet collage cards fit the bill.

KEEP IT SIMPLE!! No need to go crazy trying to make it perfect. These cards are perfectly imperfect and you’ll want to keep them forever.

Fill a tinker tray with any bits and bobs that you already have. I used an old silverware tray and filled it with glittery hearts, pom poms, bits of ribbon, and sequins and google eyes.

I’ll give you a list of ideas below, but I encourage you to use what you already have or head to your local dollar store.

Sloane was six here and working on reading and writing, so I added a few themed words for her to read and copy. I wanted her to feel independent in this activity and having the common words in front of her gave Sloane the confidence she was seeking.

In the top of the tray I added a small pot of glue and paintbrush. The brush and pot allows children to be more intentional about their glue placement.

Pro Tip: If you have very little ones and don’t want this to turn into a glue-a-palooza, you can cut out contact paper hearts sticky side up and tape that to the read heart. No glue needed!