Decorating for the holidays, no matter which one, can be a fun job.
With so many commercial decorations available for everything from New Year's to Secretary’s Day, it is sometimes nice to get back to basics. This Valentine's Day, put away the store bought decorations and use your children's crafts to decorate the house instead. You will be surprised at the many uses you can find for all sorts of the kid-related crafts.
Chain Gang
Get your children involved in creating some fun and whimsical Valentine's Day chains. Cut lengthwise strips of red, pink and white construction paper and create looped chains to decorate the house. From staircases to door frames to window valances, there is no end to the ways you can use paper chains to decorate your home.
Hanging Hearts
Create large hearts from craft foam and hang them from your front yard tree or inside from the chandelier. Do not worry if they are not perfectly symmetrical; the fact that your child gets to help will be much more meaningful and memorable than a symmetrical heart. You can also create smaller hearts, connect them together end to end, and hang them in the doorway to create a curtain effect. Be careful doing this if your children are very young, as you do not want them to get tangled in the string or heart chain.
Say What?
Candy conversation hearts are a Valentine's Day staple. Instead of eating them this year, use them to create clever frames for your pictures. Use a rectangular, cardboard cut-out with a hole in the center to act as a frame. Hot glue the conversation hearts to the frame and add a picture to complete it. Keep in mind that children should never use a hot glue gun, but they can hand you the conversation hearts as you glue them on.
Place Mats
Every holiday is perfect for new place mats and Valentine's Day is no exception. Use strips of construction paper to weave together a place mat in shades of red, pink and white. You can also cut out large construction paper hearts and have children decorate them with crayons, markers and colored pencils. Once laminated with clear contact paper, the hearts will serve as perfect Valentine's Day place mats.
Silly Centerpieces
Not sure what to put in the center of the dining room table for Valentine's Day? Let your children create silly centerpieces. Cut a Styrofoam ball in half and have your child paint one half. Place a heart shaped lollipop in the center of the rounded part of the Styrofoam piece. Glue wiggly eyes on the lollipop for personality. Add pipe cleaners for arms and legs by twisting them around the lollipop stick in the center. Group your lollipop heart family together or line them up on a table runner to create a fun and child-created centerpiece.
The memories from childhood rarely involve trips to purchase pre-made decorations for the holidays. Instead, some of the best times can be found in making memories together while decorating. Crafts are an excellent way to involve your children in decorating and family fun.
This article was written by Jessica Ackerman of WallDecorandHomeAccents.com - the best place to buy quality personalized wall grille and Tuscan iron door toppers.
