Heart Garland Craft
A string of paper hearts draped across a doorway or mantel is one of the most cheerful Valentine's Day decorations you can make — and children can make the whole thing themselves. This craft is endlessly scalable: the more hearts, the longer the garland, the merrier the result.
It's also a wonderful lesson in repetition and pattern. Children can alternate colors, make all hearts the same size, or go wild with a rainbow of reds, pinks, and purples.
What You'll Need
- Construction paper or cardstock — in red, pink, purple, and white
- Scissors — child-safe scissors for older kids; adult cuts for younger ones
- Hole punch — for threading
- Yarn or ribbon — the longer, the better
- Crayons, stickers, or glitter glue — for decorating
- Tape — to hang when finished
How to Do It
Step 1: Cut hearts. Cut lots of hearts from colored paper — aim for at least 20 for a satisfying garland. Mix sizes for visual interest.
Step 2: Decorate. Let children add stickers, draw patterns, or swipe glitter glue on each heart.
Step 3: Punch holes. Punch two holes near the top of each heart, side by side about an inch apart.
Step 4: Thread the yarn. Thread yarn through the holes of each heart, spacing them evenly along the strand. Knot between hearts if you want them to stay spaced apart.
Step 5: Hang and admire. Tape or pin across a doorway, along a window, or above a bulletin board.
🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop
Patterning — Alternating colors and sizes is a foundational math concept.
Cutting skills — Cutting curves (for hearts) is more challenging than cutting straight lines — great fine motor practice.
Decorative design — Making choices about what each heart looks like builds aesthetic judgment.
Tips & Variations
- Try folding paper accordion-style and cutting to make a chain of connected hearts.
- Use doilies for some hearts for a lacy, vintage look.
- Add photos of family members to some hearts for a "love garland."
- Make individual garlands for kids to hang in their rooms.
My Two Cents
Pre-cutting the hearts for younger children lets them focus all their energy on the decorating — which is really where the joy is anyway. For older children (4+), cutting hearts themselves is fantastic scissor practice. Either way, the garland hanging in the classroom window for two weeks will make every child beam with pride when they see it.
