Kids love to craft all through-out the year, but especially during Valentine’s Day when they can give someone they care about a handmade gift.

Have the kids make a homemade Valentine to give to someone special or to use as a fun holiday decoration like our hippo Valentine craft! 

Kids will love making this happy hippo ready to share the love. Have the kids stretch their creativity by choosing if they’d like to make their craft in traditional Valentine colors or the more realistic colors of a hippo.

They’ll also work on their scissor skills cutting out all the pieces, fine motor skills gluing them in just the right place, and how to follow directions when they complete this craft.

Since this project doesn’t take many supplies or time to make, kids can make several for their friends, classmates, or siblings. We’ve included a free printable template. Pair that with our step-by-step instructions below, and you’ll see just how easily this craft comes together.

Browse through all of our Valentine crafts for kids to continue the holiday fun and crafting! Save the ones your little loves will be excited to make this February!

Easy Hippo Valentine Idea

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Supplies

• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Hippo template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

Download the hippo template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.

Start by gluing the eyes beneath both of the eyebrows.

Take the nose and mouth piece and glue them to the bottom of the hippo’s head, so it’s slightly overlapping the bottom of the eyes.

Next, glue the inner ears to both of the outer ears.

Glue the belly to the middle of the hippo’s body.

Place the heart in the middle of the hippo’s belly and glue it in place.

Finish up by gluing the arms and to both sides of the hippo’s body so it looks like it’s holding the heart.

Now that your kids have made this cute hippo Valentine craft, make sure to check out our other fun animal crafts while you’re here.

Valentine Ideas For Kids

We have lots of fun ideas to help fill your kid’s day or week with some Valentine’s crafts and activities.

Take a look through some of our ideas below and choose the ones that best suit the interests of your kiddos! You’re sure to find fun and engaging activities they’ll love to do.

Valentine Books For Kids

Reading books with your kids is such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, it’s like diving into an exciting adventure together!

When you read stories with your children, they learn greater empathy, their vocabularies expand, and they are more likely to become lifelong readers themselves. With each page turned, a new experience begins – one that can last a lifetime!

See below for some of our favorite Valentine books for kids.

Love From The Crayons – If your kids love any of the Crayon books, they’ll want to read this Valentine version where the crayons explore the bright colors and subtle shades of love.

The Invisible String – This is a sweet story all children will want to hear. It’s about a mother who tells her two children that they’re all connected by an invisible string.

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine – Join Little Blue Truck as he delivers Valentine’s Day cards to all his farm animal friends. As he does, he wonders, will anyone give one to him?

Valentine Crafts For Kids

Crafting is a fun and beneficial activity for kids. As they create crafts, they’re developing important skills such as fine motor skills, problem-solving, and concentration.

Crafting also introduces kids to being artistic and creative, which is great for reducing stress. Encourage your kids to craft with some of our favorite Valentine’s themed crafts below!

Cow Valentine Craft – What better way to say, “I love moo!” than with this adorable cow Valentine? This creative craft will be a hit with the kids. Spend some time with the kids to make homemade Valentines to give out this upcoming Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Wreath Craft – Kids know the way to Mom’s heart is with candy and their smiling faces. This sweet craft combines the two to make a photo wreath perfect for giving to the one they love. It’s a fun way to celebrate, so check out our tutorial for a fun holiday project!

Llama Valentine Card Craft – A fun card to make any time with your llama-loving kiddos, but perfect for sending a Valentine’s greeting to someone special! Have the kids customize the craft with their favorite colors, and have them practice their handwriting by writing a sweet note on the card.

Pig Valentine Craft – This cute little piggy is looking forward to Valentine’s Day! Have the kids help him send a sweet message by making this fun and easy paper craft with them. Download the free template to get started!

Valentine Activities For Kids

If your kids enjoy coloring, then you’ll want to be sure to get these Valentine coloring pages. The pages have different animal and heart-filled pages they’ll have fun coloring in. Grab the crayons and these pages for an easy holiday activity!

For a festive Valentine’s Day activity, print out these Valentine connect the dots! They’ll keep kids engaged and learning as they connect the dots and then color in their completed pictures. They’ll also work on number recognition and counting as they connect the dots from 1 to 14. Grab the crayons or markers, and get the kids coloring!

On the hunt for something entertaining and educational? Give these Valentine do a dot printables a try then. They’ll provide hours of learning for your kids, and bonus, they’ll have fun doing it! These pages will help kids practice concepts from letter recognition to counting, so gather the dot markers and this bundle to get started!

Have kids practice using scissors with these fun and festive Valentine cutting practice worksheets. When kids use scissors, it helps them improve their hand strength, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination. These pages are also great for learning number recognition, counting, and problem-solving! Download these free printables for a fun way to learn this Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Fun

• This “love you” little girl’s sweatshirt is so adorable!!
• All the kids will love these Etch A Sketch Valentine cards.
• Teachers will love this Valentine’s Day t-shirt!

Share With Us

Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Valentine’s Day Activities

Hippo Valentine Craft Template