I only have three rules when it comes to crafting with kids:

1.) NO GLITTER.

2.) “Active” time must exceed both prep and clean up time.

and . . .

3.) The end result must be attractive enough to proudly display in the house. In other words, no toilet paper rolls . . . thank you very much.

With these requirements in mind, I created these printable vintage valentines to be as fun, easy, pretty, and altogether as parent-friendly as humanly possible. And I’m so happy with how they turned out! I hope you and your kids have as much fun with them as we have been! Enjoy!

What’s to LOVE about these Vintage Valentines:

1.) SUPER SIMPLE. Just print, and your part is basically done! Although, I highly recommend doing a few yourself! It was majorly therapeutic and our kids love it when I actually sit down and take the time to paint with them.

2.) WON’T EAT UP THE PRINTER RIBBON: These valentine templates can be printed on plain cardstock and are black and white ONLY.

3.) INTERACTIVE, CUSTOMIZABLE & ART-FRIENDLY: Your child can paint/color them, cut them out, embellish them (paper lace doily backings are positively enchanting), and personalize them to his/her heart’s content while you just sit, sip, observe, or create a few yourself! Oh, just maybe hide the key to the glitter cupboard, ok?

4.) VINTAGE LOOK: When did valentines get so ugly? Seriously, valentines these days are more like little movie advertisement bookmarks than they are like personalized love notes. Every time I see one it just about gives me a cartoon coronary. I will never understand why every blessed item made for kids these days must be stamped with a cartoon character. Even pre-packaged CARROT STICKS. Ok, ok . . . rant over. Suffice it to say, these valentines are not bold, in your face, cartoony, or obtrusive in any way. I aimed for simplicity and beauty when I created them. Don’t kids have enough bombarding of the senses these days? These are notes of friendship and love. Customizable for the recipient.

5.) SIMPLE SILHOUETTE OPTIONS EASY ENOUGH FOR TODDLERS: the silhouette valentines turn out lovely even in the hands of the tiniest artists. Show your toddler how to sweep water colors over the entire valentine and let them go! They can knock out a stack of ten or more in just a few minutes. Our toddler happily painted these for over an hour! This is rare for her. I only kept half of them because several of them she painted until they literally disintegrated, but that is OK!! That’s process art, baby! Try not to sweat the results. Grandma will love it either way.

6.) INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED OPTIONS FOR OLDER ARTISTS: I’ve included images of varying detail and varying subjects in the attempts of catering to all interests and abilities. You can see below some of the valentines painted by our kindergartener (left), and some painted by me (right).

7.) CROSS-CURRICULAR CRAFT: Besides just being super cute, making homemade valentines is actually a great cross-curricular craft for the Homeschool family!

Here are some of the academic and vocational skills used/practiced in making valentines:

• using scissors, paints, colored pencils, glue, etc.
• practice writing one’s own name
• practice writing the names of family and friends
• learning about the history and traditions of Valentine’s Day
• practice writing a traditional paper letter
• practice using proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• learning how to address and stamp an envelope
• learning how to mail a letter and learning about the United States Postal Service

---

Super Simple Instructions:

1.) PRINT onto white or ivory cardstock (we used ivory and backed with white doilies). Printing at full size will give you a large valentine that backs well on an 8 inch doily and fits into a standard legal envelope when folded in half. If you wish to leave your valentines unfolded, you can print at a smaller percentage, back onto a smaller 6 inch doily and place in a large square envelope.

2.) PAINT OR COLOR: We recommend watercolors for this project, but colored pencils would work great too! Be sure to color or paint FIRST before cutting out. We found that having the whole sheet for leverage was very helpful for the painting process, especially for the littles.

3.) CUT EM’ OUT!

4.) BACK ONTO DOILIES *optional*: this step is optional but really takes these valentines to the next level. We used glue stick to adhere our valentines onto white, 8 inch doilies. *You can find paper doilies in the cake decorating section of most craft stores.

5.) CRUSH THE CURVE: painting and gluing your valentines will create natural warping and curving. Don’t fret! An hour or two between some giant books beat ours into submission quite nicely.

6.) PERSONALIZE & SIGN: our kindergartener was overwhelmed with personalizing our giant stack on valentines, so he simply signed his name on each. Keep it simple! For kids under six you may even choose to leave them totally bare of words and let the art express your child’s love. That is more than ok! For older kids, they may enjoy putting a cute phrase on each valentine, perhaps pertaining to the image in some way. For example, for the dolly valentine your child may write: “You’re a doll!” Or for the little boy in the car: “You drive me wild!”

7.) DELIVER OR MAIL: We are delivering valentines to friends and neighbors and mailing many to family/cousins.

---

HERE THEY ARE! Ready to download and print! Just click the link below.

*A special thanks to TheGraphicsFairy.com and OldDesignShop.com for these amazing vintage graphics!

---

Listen while you craft!

~Little Loves’ Valentine Vibes Playlist~

I hope you (I mean your kids/students) enjoy these Vintage Valentines! If you and your kids download this printable, I’d love to hear what you think! And it would so totally make my day to see a picture of your valentines!

---

Don’t forget to share these with a friend! Pretty please and thank you!

HAPPY CRAFTING! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Thanks for reading!

Love, ~Our Holistic Homeschool~