Looking for valentines crafts for preschool that give you more than a plain red heart? Think handprint butterflies, smiling caterpillars and bright pink monsters.
These pictures have plenty of little details to borrow for your next craft session.
You can keep things simple with painted hearts or try a decoration to hang up. Have an adult handle tricky cutting and supervise small pieces.
Choose child-safe art supplies, then let your preschoolers pick their favorite colors.
Valentine craft ideas to try with your preschoolers
a little hand inside a big hand
We’re starting off strong with this sweet red heart. I love the tiny red hand shape inside the big white handprint.
That little white dot in the middle is such a cute detail.
For your own version, keep the red-and-white pairing so both hand shapes show clearly.
pink and red heart wreath
How cute is this wreath? Pink and red hearts cover the white ring, with a larger red heart hanging in the middle.
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Try offering precut hearts in different sizes so your preschooler can choose where each one goes. Don’t forget a loop at the top if you want to hang yours.
fingerprint heart tree
This heart tree may just be one of my favorites here. I love the mix of pale pink and deep red prints around the brown branches.
There are even little hearts scattered along the bottom.
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You could draw the trunk ahead of time, then let the kids add their own heart-shaped prints.
colorful window garland
Want something to hang in the window? These pink, red and purple hearts look so pretty with the light coming through them.
The pictures show coloring, misting and the finished garland. I’d keep the loose scribbles rather than aiming for neat stripes.
That mixed-up color is my favorite part.
smiling heart caterpillar
I am obsessed with this little caterpillar. The folded pink and peach hearts are adorable, especially with those bent black legs.
Try overlapping your heart shapes in a row like this. A big smile and heart-tipped antennae give the face its silly little expression.
white heart with bright paint
If you love bright colors, this one is for you. The white heart sits right in the middle of overlapping pink, purple and turquoise paint marks.
For a similar look, an adult could help protect the heart-shaped center while your preschooler adds color around it. There’s no need to make every mark the same.
handprint butterfly
How sweet is this butterfly? The darker pink handprints sit across pale pink wings, with a smiling heart for the head.
The words “You make my heart flutter!” run down the white body. Ask your child who they’d like to give theirs to, then help them add the message.
framed window hearts
This is another pretty window idea, but it’s a little different from the garland above. I love the wide red and purple borders around the streaky colored centers.
Try adding a small heart to one corner of your frame. The layered orange and red detail on the bottom heart is especially cute.
heart with folded arms and legs
Those little red boots! This smiling heart has white folded arms and legs, plus red mitten-shaped hands.
It’s displayed against a plain brown background.
You could help with the folds while your preschooler chooses the face. I’d keep the big white eyes and simple curved smile.
rainbow mosaic heart
Who says Valentine hearts have to be pink? This hanging heart has blue, green, yellow, orange and purple sections with dark outlines between them.
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The photo doesn’t show how the translucent center was made. For a preschool-friendly variation, try a flat collage with colorful paper shapes and a bold heart outline.
little pom-pom love bugs
OMG, how adorable are these little bugs? The pink and red pom-pom bodies have googly eyes, heart-shaped feet and tall heart-tipped antennae.
For younger preschoolers, you could swap the loose eyes for larger paper ones. Keep the oversized hearts up top if you want that same playful look.
pink heart outlines
I love the streaky pink edges on this heart art. The picture shows a smaller heart template held over the white center, with another pink outline already surrounding it.
Try a large template first if little hands need more room. The outward pink marks can stay uneven.
linked red hearts
Don’t want to add paint or lots of tiny decorations? This red heart chain is a lovely idea to borrow.
A strip with broad accordion folds sits below the linked hearts.
Have an adult help with cutting the connected shapes. Your preschooler could decorate the opened chain with crayons afterward.
love you to pieces
The little play on words here is so cute. Pink puzzle pieces form a heart over white craft sticks, with “We love you” above and “to pieces!” below.
I especially love the red hanging loop. An adult could assemble the backing while your child helps arrange the puzzle-piece heart.
hanging birdseed heart
Here’s a Valentine idea that skips the pink altogether. This seed-covered heart hangs from a loop of twine, with pale seeds and darker ones across the surface.
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If you’d like to make one together, use a verified birdseed ornament recipe with bird-safe ingredients. The photo alone doesn’t show what holds this heart together.
polka-dot hearts
The polka-dot fans are going to love this! These illustrated hearts switch between red, pink and white, with thick black borders and little dashed details.
Borrow the patterns for your own heart cutouts. Let the kids choose big circles, tiny dots or a mix of both.
painted hearts in every color
This is one of my favorite pictures on the list. I love how different every heart looks, from orange dots to pink stripes and loose green outlines.
Set out a few paint colors and let your preschoolers choose their own patterns. There’s no need for everyone’s heart to match.
pink heart-eyed monsters
How cute are these toothy monsters? The jagged pink bodies sit on black backgrounds, with turquoise stalks, heart-shaped eyes and little red feet.
You could offer precut shapes and let each child choose where the teeth go. The uneven smiles are too cute to make them all identical.
heart-shaped candle holders
These red and orange-gold hearts each have a white tealight in the center. I love the shimmery color around the edges.
For a preschool version, choose battery-operated tealights instead of the lit candles shown. Let an adult prepare a suitable heart-shaped base for the kids to decorate.
a heart ready for yarn
Last but definitely not least, we have a heart ready for decorating. The pictures show a plain cutout beside colorful yarn, short strands and a brush, rather than a finished project.
For your own version, try gluing short pieces of yarn inside the outline with adult supervision. I’d mix the bright pink, yellow and blue.