» Be my Valentine! Nurture Our Child with Love and Patience: Importance of Nurturing Our Child in Their Early Childhood Development

Valentine’s Day will be arriving next Saturday! Do you have any plan on that special occassion? Are you going to celebrate it alone with your beloved hubby/wife? We can be more creative and involve our child in planning this special day together. This is one way to nurture our child’s love towards his family members.

If you are the mother, we can suggest our child to make a Valentine’s craft for his daddy. Plan with our child how to make this day special and unforgettable for daddy…maybe prepare a dinner for him, buy a dozen of roses for him on that day. This is romantic! I have a simple Valentine’s craft idea to share with all of you.

This craft can be done by the child with only minimum adult’s assistance. The child is able to expand their creativity and produce a fine beautiful craft with their own effort. My children in school loved and enjoyed the process of making the craft!

Materials

a paper cup
a straw
red and pink colored paper
painting paper
poster colors or water colors
pain brush
old newspaper/ plastic mat
ribbons, sequins, beads and other used craft accessories
shining wrapping paper
Valentine’s wrapping paper
scissors
blade/knife
glue

Step by Step

First we paint the paper cup with a paint brush. Ask your child to choose his the color he wants to paint on the paper cup. My children were happy that they get to choose their own color(s) as most of the time, the adults decide the color(s). They are concentrated in painting as they are putting on their favorite color(s). Leave the painted paper cup to dry at a corner after it is fully paint.

Wash the paint brush. Again, ask your child to choose his color(s) that he wants to paint on the painting paper. Look at the child on the picture, he was so focused and enjoyed his painting. Put the paper on aside to let it dry while we proceed to the next step.

Draw two big heart shapes (8cm x 7cm) on a red colored paper and two smaller heart shapes (6cm x 5cm) on a pink colored paper. Cut the shapes with a scissors. If your child is able to cut on their own, let him do it! You may write some words on the pink heart shapes. I’ve written “Be my Valentine!”. You may ask your child’s idea on what to write on it.

Paste the two red heart shapes back to back on the straw. Then paste a pink heart shape on one side of the red heart, then repeat the same on the other side.

Use a blade or knife to make a small cross on the painted paper cup. We need to do it on behalf of the child as it is dangerous to avoid cut/injury. Show our child on how to insert the straw through it. Put it to a corner while proceeding to next step.

Check if the painting earlier has dried. If it is dried, then ask your child to put his hands on the painting and trace his hands. If your child developed strong fine motor skills, he can trace his hands on his own. Then ask him to cut out the shapes along the lines.

Take out the beads, sequins, ribbons and other craft accessories that you may find at home. Let your child decorate his hand shapes using his own creativity. Leave them to dry once they are done.

Like to share this with all of you. This girl just decorate the shapes with flower. She actually told me that she has painted a long neck dinosaur on the painting paper. She is so careful and focused. I found that her decoration is very clean and sweet!

Take out the paper cup again. Paste the hand shapes on the paper cup, side by side. It’s done! A simple but nice Valentine’s craft. Give to daddy and mummy, to tell them that you love them with hugs and kisses.

This a creativity produced by a boy. He is the only one that request yellow color to paint his cup.

This is also produced by another boy. Look at his creation! It’s lovely.

Two more creations that are using ribbons and beads. Children enjoyed a lot with this craft and they can’t wait to show their parents.

On the next day, you may even prepare a small Valentine’s card with your child. You just need to cut out some heart shapes or other shapes that you may find in a wrapping paper (or get your child to cut). Then as your child to paste on the A4 red paper (folded into half). My children kept saying, “This is for my mummy and daddy!”. I will be so touched to receive all these on my Valentine’s! Just romantic!