Help kids learn about different feelings and emotions. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a fun and exciting valentine craft for kids. Check out this home activity and find out how to teach kids to create feelings with playdough.
Hands are essential for children’s development. With them, many activities can be carried out to favor children’s learning, such as dressing, eating, combing their hair, tying shoelaces, writing, etc.
María Montessori thinks the hand is the most important educational tool in children’s lives. Through the hands, children explore their environment, understand the world around them, understand their possibilities and limitations, and develop their autonomy.
When performing fine motor activities, precision in hand and finger movements, hand-eye coordination, and laterality are being favored; autonomy and independence are being developed in children, which are fundamental in acquiring new knowledge.
For this reason, children should be allowed to explore freely, without feeling pressured in any way by the adult. Every time they explore and get involved with new things, they show their great interest in learning, which is a sign of their autonomy.
Without a doubt, the hand is a fundamental tool for the development of children’s intelligence. Fine motor skills aim to develop the movements of the smallest muscles in the body.
The only way to develop this skill with children is to learn it through their own experience. For children to develop their motor skills, they do not have to be sitting in front of a notebook doing homework. With the game, it can be achieved by obtaining better results.
María Montessori proposed practical life activities such as sweeping, making the bed, transferring objects from one container to another, pouring water into different glasses, buttoning jackets, tying shoes, etc. It shows that through experience, play, and example, children learn better.
THEME: VALENTINE CRAFT FOR KIDS
HOW DO WE DO THIS ACTIVITY?
Topic: Fine motor skills
Age: 4-6-year-old children
Goal: Through this craft activity, the children will develop skills and dexterity in hands’ and fingers’ movements.
Difficulty level: Advanced. This valentine’s day crafts is designed for children to carry out autonomously and independently through the following instructions.
Skills:
- Accuracy in hand’s and finger’s movements
- Focus
- Following instructions
- Autonomy
- Self-reliance
- Hand-eye coordination
MATERIALS:
- Paper squares with silhouettes of faces previously made
- Play-Doh
ACTIVITY DEVELOPMENT
Step 1:
Look at the first square and read the emotional word written there. Choose the color of Play-Doh you prefer and mold the dough into a mouth resembling that emotion. Stick it down on the paper.
Step 2:
Take some more Play-Doh and make the eyes and the nose. Repeat this action with each card, having in mind the emotion that it indicates.
VALENTINE CRAFT FOR KIDS ACTIVITY RESULT
Emotions made with Play-Doh
FREE PRINTABLE VALENTINE’S DAY WORKSHEETS
Together with the Valentine craft for kids, why not give kids new worksheets too for Valentine’s Day. Click the link below to download and print the worksheets.
Download the Free Printable Feelings and Emotions Worksheets
HOW DO WE DO THIS ACTIVITY WITH CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES?
CHANGES FOR CHILDREN UNDER 4 YEARS OLD
This valentine craft for kids activity can be developed with younger children. To lower the difficulty level, each face must have the emotion drawn. Children should take small pieces of Play-Doh and mold them to get small balls. Then, they must crush them on the image to get the face. In this way, they will carry out an activity appropriate to their development and abilities.
CHANGES FOR CHILDREN OLDER THAN 6
This valentine’s day crafts can be done with older children. To increase the difficulty level, children can make the entire face with the Play-Doh. To carry out this activity, children must have greater precision in the hands and fingers’ movements. This way, a more challenging exercise will be carried out according to the children’s development and abilities.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION – FEELINGS WITH PLAY-DOH
In this valentine craft for kids video, you will find the step-by-step of the “FEELINGS WITH PLAY-DOUGH” activity, designed for 4-6-year-old children. A face was made with Play-Dohconsidering the feeling indicated by each card. This valentine craft will allow children to develop accuracy in hands and finger movements, focus, following instructions, autonomy, self-reliance, and hand-eye coordination. They will need the following materials to do the activity, silhouettes of faces previously made and Play-Doh.
Do you like this Valentine craft for kids? Make sure to check out our other articles.
- Here’s an awesome home activity, Let’s Wash the Hearts Sensory Activity for Toddlers (1-2 Year Olds)
- Check out this awesome Hearts with Beads Valentine’s Day Home Activity for Kids Fine Motor Skills (4-6 Year Olds)
- Give kids fun craft to do. Check out this Valentine’s Day Crafts to Teach Kids Counting and Feelings Number Activity (4-6 Year Olds)
- Let kids have fun with Fun Stamping Heart Valentines Day Art Home Activity for Kids (4-6 Year Olds)
- Help kids express their feelings with this 3 Steps Volcanoes Kids Crafts to Help Your Child Express Their Feelings Sensory Activity for Preschoolers (2-4 Year Olds)
Get super cute Valentine’s day outfit for your little ones, check out this Valentine’s Day Forever Loving You Bodysuit.
I’d like to know what you think of our Valentine craft for kids. Please leave a comment below.
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