Valentine’s Day is approaching! You could go out and buy your cards, of course. But why not make your own this year? So much more heartfelt and fun! Being a mom and art teacher means every season has an opportunity to create homemade masterpieces. Join me!
Jim Dine hearts
Jim Dine loves hearts — what a perfect inspiration this contemporary artist is! Have your child fold a paper into a grid and draw hearts. I recommend an oil pastel heart and then a watercolor background. Have your child think of it like a puzzle so that no same color is ever touching another!
Take a field trip to the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park and check out his amazing heart sculptures!
Rainbow hearts
Go to the hardware or paint store and grab some paint chips to get crafting! I like to use a heart punch (like this) with little ones, but if your kids are older they can cut the hearts themselves. Glue them onto a paper, and you have a masterpiece. So fun, simple, and beautiful!
Eric Carle hearts
Start by making beautiful papers like Eric Carle would — by painting paper! This is something you could do in one day with watercolor, or you could make layers of color on top using tempera paint and fun tools like forks, toy cars, even corn on the cob! Once dry, you can cut the paper for your little one, cut together, or have them cut the hearts independently.
Hearts with feelings
Simple and fun! Have your child make hearts with paint and then talk about how your face can change with different feelings. Then, with a crayon or marker, have your child draw the faces on the hearts.
Kandinsky-inspired concentric hearts
Math and art is a winning combination, and artist Vasily Kandinsky is a winner himself! Have your child fold a piece of paper into a grid and then paint or draw hearts in a concentric design. Read this amazing gem of a book called “The Noisy Paint Box” to learn about Kandinsky’s life and his experience with synesthesia!
There are infinite possibilities to create with your child!
These are incredible ideas, thanks for sharing!