Valentine Handprint Crafts

When it comes to Valentine’s Day cards, nothing beats a homemade keepsake that loved ones can treasure for years to come. Kids of all ages can participate in the fun since toddlers will love to get their hands coated in paint to stamp, and elementary age kids can help by tracing and cutting out their own handprints and decorative shapes.

We also love handprint crafts because you can use paint to make a solid handprint or trace it onto paper and cut out to practice scissor skills. You can even trace with a crayon or marker and color in the handprint from there if you want a paint and scissor-free option.

Why Kids Love Handprint Crafts

• Handprint art is easy and always turns out adorable!
• Handprint crafts are a great activity and make a fun gift or keepsake.
• Getting your hand painted is just fun! Let kids decide what colors to use and they’ll love seeing their handprint creation come to life!
• Handprint art projects are good for any age of child from babies to elementary age.

Tips for Making Painted Handprint Crafts:

• If you want a more sparse handprint where you see more fingerprints, use a small paintbrush to coat a dry hand with paint and stamp right onto paper.
• To achieve a more solid looking print, coat the hand and stamp a scrap piece (or just make two of the same handprints to make more than one animal). Then, immediately add another coat of paint and stamp another piece and the second stamp will look more filled in.
• For easier paint removal, don’t let the paint fully dry before washing it off. Make as many handprints in that color as you want and then wash before it fully dries.
• If you are worried about paint on clothes or tables, try a smock or coated tablecloth for easy clean up!

How To Make a Ladybug Handprint Valentine

• Start by tracing and cutting out a left and right hand in red paper.
• Cut two circles out of black paper (one about 4″ wide and one about 3″ wide).
• Layer the smaller black circle partially under the larger circle to make the face and body, and glue together.
• Glue on the hands (overlapping at the palms) as wings and add antennas, eyes, mouth, and dots on wings to complete your ladybug look.
• Add a note from your “LOVE BUG” and you’re done!

How To Make a Strawberry Handprint Valentine

This craft is the same as this version of a Strawberry Handprint Craft we made! It’s been a favorite ever since so we had to share it with this collection of ideas!

• Cut out a red strawberry shape that’s big enough to fit your child’s handprint.
• Cut a green stem that’s big enough to cover over the top of your strawberry shape.
• Add your handprint to the strawberry with pink paint. Allow to dry.
• Glue the green stem on top of the strawberry.
• Add seeds with marker or paint and write “Love you BERRY much!” across the top.

How To Make a Heart Handprint Valentine

• Do a pink handprint with your child’s right hand with the thumb hitting somewhere around the middle of the paper (have them angle their hand inwards rather than straight on). Allow to dry.
• Repeat with the left hand and red paint overlapping the fingers to create the shape of a heart. Allow to dry.
• Write “LOVE YOU” all around the heart to finish your Valentine.

How To Make a Flower Handprint Valentine

• Do a set of pink or red handprints to create your two flowers.
• Draw or paint green stems and leaves for your flowers.
• Add your “Happy Valentine’s Day” message to complete.
• Add several to a handprint flower bouquet as another idea too!

How To Make a Dinosaur Handprint Valentine

• Start with a green handprint on your paper.
• Draw or paint a neck and head onto the palm of the handprint.
• Add a google eye and smile.
• Draw or cut out and glue some dinosaur spikes onto his back.
• Write “You are DINO-MITE” onto the page and your Valentine is finished!

How To Make a Cactus Handprint Valentine

Did you see our handprint cactus craft we made for a Mother’s Day card? It’s the perfect starting point for this Valentine’s Day card too!

• Trace and cut out a green handprint from green construction paper.
• Cut a long rectangle and coffee cup-shaped bottom from brown paper to be your cactus pot.
• Glue your long rectangle to the top of your cactus pot and glue the palm of your hand cactus under the top edge of the pot.
• Decorate your cactus by drawing spikes and adding cut out or drawn pink flowers.
• Add a message that says “I’m STUCK on you!”

How To Make a Butterfly Handprint Valentine

• Use your child’s right and left hand to make two mirrored red handprint in the middle of your horizontal paper.
• Cut out 4 pink ovals about 1.5″ high to be your butterfly body.
• Next, glue the ovals overlapping to create the body between the handprint wings.
• Draw your antennas and smile and add google eyes for a silly look.
• Write “You make my heart flutter!” underneath and you’re done!
• You can also follow our Handprint Butterf handprint butterfly tutorial to make a version from traced handprints!

How To Make an XOXO Handprint Valentine

• Start with two pink handprints on a horizontal paper, making sure to leave room for where your “X”s will go.
• Paint, draw, or cut out and glue two red paper “X”s next to your handprint “O”s.
• Write “Happy Valentine’s Day” at the bottom to complete the Valentine.

How To Make an Caterpillar Thumbprint Valentine

• Fold a sheet of paper in half to make a horizontal card.
• Next, cut out a pink paper heart to be the head of your caterpillar.
• Alternate thumb prints in red and pink paint to create the body of the insect. Allow to dry.
• Glue the heart face onto the front of the body and draw antennas, a smile, some feet, and add some google eyes for fun.
• Finally, write a note to let your Valentine know that “THUMB-BUGGY loves you!”

Looking for More Handprint Crafts?

• 10 Handprint Animal Crafts
• Leprechaun Handprint Craft
• Snow Globe Craft with Handprints
• Witch Handprint Craft
• Make a Paper Bag Owl Puppet
• Handprint Butterfly