I love Valentine’s Day projects, and when my boys were young, would try (hard) to make Valentine’s Day crafts with them to hand out to their classmates. But the year I found myself speaking, uh, heatedly, to my 5-year-old about how he wasn’t showing enough care to his classmates (i.e., mommy’s interests), I realized that I had to let go. And I have.
On our good years, my boys hand out perforated Pokemon cards from the drugstore and, though it makes me just a teeny bit sad, they’re quite satisfied. Good enough. But maybe—just maybe—whipping out these dead easy edible Valentine’s Day projects for kids using candy will help us find common ground. Because easy. And candy.
Fingers crossed. And if not for me, maybe for you and your kids.
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Related: Getting kids in the kitchen: A helpful guide to teaching kids cooking skills by age.
The DIY Heart Lollipops at Studio DIY (above) are my kids’ kind of ktichen craft. The “recipe” calls for a single ingredient (my younger son’s favorite candy!), some melting, and pouring. Just be sure to grab a heat-safe heart-shaped lollipop mold and lollipop sticks before you start.
This isn’t so much making it with candy as it is making candy. I’ve always wanted to make Buttermints and this recipe from the The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook that I found at Serious Eats finally gives me the excuse I need to make them. The promise of making candy might get my boys on board, too. I’m thinking that for Valentine’s Day we’ll roll out a sheet instead of a log and use a heart shaped fondant cutter (or small cookie cutter) to make heart candies if they’re game.
If your kids are anything like mine, you might end up cutting out the crepe paper to make these adorable Candy Arrows at A Subtle Revelry. But still, mine—and maybe yours—will be happy to help thread the candies on these treats. Because sneaking bites. Crafty kids, on the other hand, can be let loose on this easy DIY project perfect for bringing into class.
Related: Helpful tips for baking with kids, and 6 recipes to get you started.
These pretty and easy-to-make Valentine’s Day treats using leftover Christmas candy at Super Make It are so smart! If your house is anything like mine and all of these fab ideas for how to use up leftover candy canes weren’t enough, you have found their ultimate last hurrah. These might become a yearly tradition in my house.
Valentine’s Day treats are usually too dainty and precious for my cake decorating skill level, even when my kids aren’t around to mess things up (ha!). Enter these Marshmallow Petit Fours for Valentine’s Day at Say Yes. They have the lovely look of classic petit four cakes, but are made with little more than marshmallows and candy melts. And wait until you see how those not-as-delicate-as-they-look decorations are made. Genius! My boys can totally help make these. That is, if they want.
