30 Clever Food-Free Valentine's For Kids
If your child wants to exchange Valentines with friends, but you’d rather avoid sharing sugary treats, never fear! There are a lot of creative, clever and cute ideas that you can easily DIY with your kiddos. Their friends will flip for one of these great 30 ideas for food-free Valentines! And your kids will have a blast making them with you, too.
1. Valentine Stick Bookmarks, bugaboo, mini, mr & me –
These bookmarks are adorable, easy and take just a few materials to create. You can whip up a bunch in no time!
2. Balloon Valentines, Eighteen 25 –
Kids love balloons, and with the free download for the cute “love is in the air” printable tags, you’ll be all set for Valentine’s Day! You can find heart balloons here but don’t underestimate the power of a simple red, white or pink balloon as well!
3. Wind-Up Robots, Craftiness Is Not Optional –
These adorable wind-up robots are a little bit nostalgia, a little bit mod and a whole lot of fun! You can use the free printable and some clear bags to create the perfect valentine for your robot-lover to hang out.
4. Paratrooper Valentines, A Pretty Cool Life –
For a cool twist on the classic valentine, try these fun paratroopers, which you can find in the party section at Target. They’re a cinch to make and will take no time at all.
5. Homemade Crayons, Cherished Bliss –
Use a heart-shaped mold to make up some DIY crayons. Attach a clever tag (which you can find at the link) and friends will love these colorful gifts.
6. Pencil Arrows, The Cottage Market –
Turn fun and colorful pencils into Valentine arrows with these Valentine’s Day cards! Kids will love the gift and the pun on the tag!
7. Dino Valentines, Sweet C Designs –
These mini dinosaurs are the perfect tiny gift, especially for boys! Just print out the provided tag and tie them on for some truly dino-mite valentines!
8. Wild Animal Valentines, Sarah M Style –
If you have an animal-lover at home, they’ll think these Valentines are awesome! Make a cute “wild about you” tag on your computer and attach a mini animal for cute and clever gift. Have your child pick which animals their friends get for a more personal touch!
9. A-MAZE-ing Valentines, U Create –
Get some tiny mazes in the party favor section of your local store, or order heart-shaped mazes here. Then all you have to do is stick them on the free printable tag. Kids will love playing with these tiny games for weeks to come.
10. Glow Sticks, Delia Creates –
These are such a super cinch to whip up, and what kid doesn’t love a glow stick bracelet?? There are printable tags provided – you just use a hole punch and stick the glow sticks right through. Cute, clever and everyone will love them!
11. Mini Whoopee Cushions, Paging Supermom –
Is there a boy alive who does NOT love whoopee cushions? This Valentine will have everyone laughing up a storm! And if you’ve got a boy yourself, you’ll be his hero for providing these mini whoopee cushions to all his friends.
12. Little Alligator Clothespin, Inspired by Familia –
You likely won’t have to buy anything special to make these Valentine Clothespin “puppets” with your kids! Hide a secret message in the alligator’s mouth and wish the class a happy Valentine’s Day with a clever handmade toy!
13. Mouth Whistles, Li’l Luna –
These take a bit more work since you need a cute close-up photo of your child to stick the mouth whistle on, but it’ll be worth the effort! The whistles are favorites among kids of all ages, and the clever pun will make them smile. Plus, you can always print a tag instead of a photo.
14. Nose Pencil Sharpener, JacOLyn Murphy –
There is no child alive who wouldn’t think this is hilarious! Not only will it have them laughing, but it’s functional, too! Now they can sharpen all the Valentine pencils they receive!
15. Play Doh, g*rated –
Little ones will love this cute Valentine! A tiny play doh wrapped up in a clever little saying makes this a fun gift for toddlers or young kids to hand out.
16. Covered Button Earrings, 30 Handmade Days –
Here’s a great idea if your kids are a little older and want to make something cute for their friends! Just help them make some earrings (instructions are here) and print out the adorable tag!
17. Lego Accessories, Chez Beeper Bebe –
These super cool lego rings and necklaces are fun to make and with the included small pieces for kids to design their own, they’ll be a smashing success! If you want to make it more unisex, you can attach the base bricks to key rings instead!
18. Love Bugs, Dandee –
These creepy critters turn particularly cute when popped on a mason jar card and labeled love bugs! There super easy to make to, and little kids will love to compare and swap bugs!
19. Mini Puzzles, Craftiness Is Not Optional –
Whip up some mini puzzle valentines in a snap with printable labels and clear bags! Get some Valentine themed puzzles at your nearest Walmart or Target in the party favor section.
20. Bubbles, Armelle –
You can pick up a pack of tiny bubbles at your nearest dollar store and make these Valentines in no time. Stick a label around them and attach them to a card and you’ve got an adorable valentine that kiddos will love to use! The stickers and tags are free to download.
21. Fake Mustaches, bliss, bloom, blog –
If you want some seriously funny valentine’s this year, have your child hand out some fake mustaches! You can find fake mustaches here. Their classmates will have a blast trying on their new facial hair!
22. Toad-ally Awesome Frogs, Crap I’ve Made –
Buy some toy frogs at the dollar store and stick them to the free printable tag. You’ve got a fun froggy Valentine the boys will love to hand out!
23. Temporary Tattoos, C.R.A.F.T. –
Here’s a fun idea for an easy to do Valentine. All you need are temporary tattoos. Create a card with the cute tagline “I’m stuck on you!” and include the tattoo for an inexpensive but unique gift.
24. Bouncy Balls, Paging Supermom –
Have a ball this Valentine’s Day! Slip a cute bouncy ball in a bag and print off the clever tags. Staple it all up and in no time you’ve got a Valentine the kiddos will love to play with. You can cut down on cost by buying the balls in bulk.
25. Toys With Wheels, 30 Handmade Days –
Here are some seriously cute cards you can print for your boys to hand out. Just attach anything that rolls – a car, truck, bulldozer, skateboard – whatever! They can all be the same or your kid can personalize each one for his friends!
26. Crazy Straws, Gingersnap Crafts –
Let your kids hand out a fun and functional valentine their friends will use over and over again! These straws are such a blast for kids to drink from. Attach a little tag to let them know just how crazy for them you are!
27. Paper Yo-Yo’s, Full House –
Create your own paper yo-yo’s with blank receipt tape and skinny wooden dowels! They’re easy to make, and even more fun for your kiddos to personalize! Use stamps, paint, markers, stickers, glitter and anything else you can think of to be as creative as you can. Then just roll them up, secure them with twine and deliver them to classmates – watch as they yo-yo their hearts out!
28. Friendship Bracelets, Dandee –
How cute are these friendship bracelet valentines?! They’re perfect for slightly older kids, who will love making them as much as handing them out! With a cute printable tag and a hole punch you can turn friendship bracelets into an awesome valentine friends will wear for a long time!
29. Slinky, bugaboo, mini, mr & me –
The tag for this cute valentine reads “You put a spring in my step, Valentine!” Print it out, tie it on a slinky, and you’ve got one cute, fun toy to give to friends!
30. Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, Just Another Day In Paradise –
Here’s a cute idea that’s bound to be a hit during the cold winter. These “Bee friends” valentines are practical but oh, so adorable!
Kimberly Mueller is the “me” over at bugaboo, mini, mr & me, a blog that highlights her creative endeavors. She especially likes to share kid crafts, sewing attempts, recipes, upcycled projects, photography and free printable gift tags/cards. When she’s not enjoying being married to her best friend, chasing after the natives (AKA her three kids) and attempting to keep the house in one piece, you can find her with a glue gun in one hand and spray paint in the other. Aside from DIY pursuits, she also enjoys writing, reading, music, singing (mostly in the shower) and the color yellow. Kimberly recently published a craft book entitled Modern Mod Podge. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest,Bloglovin’ and Instagram. Email her at: bugabooblog(at)yahoo.com
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