Homemade Valentine's Cards with Watercolors

Last year was the first time we had a small child in school for Valentine’s Day. I initially thought to run out, grab the most exciting box of Valentine’s cards I could find, and spend an hour writing J’s name and pinning lollipops. Isn’t that how we all did it when we were kids?

Then, I thought about what that really meant for me. Buying the cards was a convenience, for sure. Super quick and kind of fun picking out our theme. Then I thought about that hour I had so carelessly given away to the task.

This year, that hour would include J attempting to wrestle the now 9-month-old in the living room while I annoyingly shouted from the kitchen, “Easy with him, buddy,” and waiting to hear cries indicating that he was not ‘easy with him’. Instead, we built on the tradition we started in 2024 that included J in the process. (2024: We decided to make our own: No-mess finger-painted Valentine’s Cards.)

We love a good pre-established animated character. Usually of the dog sort, likely a talking dog that saves their town or works in construction and says things like Pup-tastic. In this case, though, I wanted to introduce the pun. Is 4 years old too soon? We decided to go with “Hoppy Valentine’s day!” and find the simplest frog drawings to use as our canvas.

Our world is too fast-paced. For those of us just trying to keep up, we live for the action of completing a task.

Get groceries. Check.
Donate outgrown clothes. Check.
Call Mom. Check.

We easily forget or just move past what the original intention was.

Get groceries = Nourish our families.
Donate outgrown clothes = Give when we can.
Call Mom = Connect with loved ones.

Valentine’s Day is so widely overcomplicated that we often overlook the original intent. In this very small example, the goal of a Valentine is to show love (or likeness) to our friends.

Step 1. Find, Print, & Prep

I am sure that I could have drawn something this simple—possibly—but because I was short on time, I chose a free coloring book template I found online. After a quick download, I was able to resize the image, add some text, and print out about six on a page or cardstock.

There are only about 12 kids in J’s class, so I loosely cut out enough for everyone and a couple extra for teachers. This was the most time-consuming part, but I did it on a quick break from work before the kids were home for the day.

Then, I placed a long piece of plastic wrap on our island countertop and placed each Valentine about an inch apart. The Saran wrap was more for the homemade Valentines, not to slide around while he was using the watercolors.

Step 2. Snacks and Watercolor

I had it all set up when he got home from school that day, with an easy snack close by. He was thrilled. The activity was creative, calming, and easy to clean. In my opinion, that is the best post-school, pre-dinner type of activity. I originally thought this project would take two sittings, or a little more mom involvement. However, 30 minutes later, he had painted all of his own Valentine’s cards and was ready to move onto something new. I’m serious, the timing could not have been more perfect.

After that, my job was easy, wait for them to dry. I had already picked up the treats to attach and I knew that part would only take a minute in the morning, so I let them dry overnight.

Step 3. Sign and Add Treats

Just before breakfast the next morning, J and I wrote his name on the back of each and I stapled a fruit roll-up to each. Had I given myself an extra day to put it together, I would have chosen a hole punch and string method, it just feels more homemade. This was perfect for a small flock of 3/4 yr olds.

More adorable Valentine’s cards to come in 2026.