Valentine's Day Religious Ed Craft

CCD Project for Valentine's Day

Can You Be More Loving and Kind?

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how I was struggling to find some with some good hands-on activities for my 1st grade CCD class. I had come up with a fun and easy God Made Me Unique craft, and this new activity shares a lot of similarities with that one.

The biggest similarity: materials. You don't need anything fancy for these projects--just paper, crepe paper, tape/glue, scissors, and writing utensils. This craft is Valentine's Day themed, because, well, it's almost Valentine's Day, but really, you could use it any time of year to reinforce the idea of KINDNESS and COMPASSION with your kiddos.

Here's how it works--the pics really tell the story (it's super simple), but I'll give you some extra info in between, just in case.

 

 Valentine's CCD Craft Materials

• Ways to Be Loving on Valentine's Day sheets (make your own or download my template by clicking that link)
• Hearts (each cut from 1/2 sheet of regular size construction paper)
• Crepe Paper
• Tape, glue stick, scissors

Valentine's CCD Craft Process

 

Step 1: Prepare the Hearts
A good place to start is to have the kids fill out the blank hearts with some ideas about how they can be "loving." Colored pencils would work well for this--probably better than crayons--just keep in mind that they won't be able to write too big!

Step 2: Cut Out the Hearts and the Title
Have the kiddos cut out their hearts (remember these won't be perfect!)--and don't forget the title for the center of the main heart! I cut around in the shape of a rectangle, but any shape will work (as long as it fits).

Step 3: Cut Strands of Crepe Paper
Ok, in reality, I did this all ahead of time and had it ready for them, and I'd recommend you do the same, depending on how many kids you're working with.
FOR THE "LEGS": I cut a bunch of strands about 8" long, then I folded them down the middle and cut them into thinner strips (each kid is going to need 3 of these thin strips). 
FOR THE LOOP: I used strands of the same length, but I did not cut these ones down the middle. Each kid will need one of these.

Step 4: Tape the Pieces Together
Easy as that! Have them tape the three strands to the back of the heart, then tape the hearts to the crepe paper.  You can see that I used a shorter strand in the middle (and only one heart) and two longer strands at the sides (with two hearts each). But let them be creative! It doesn't have to be exactly like the example :)

Step 5: Make the Top Loop
For this step, you'll use the full-width crepe paper you cut. Simply grab one end in each hand, and TWIST! Once it's nice and tight, tape each side down to the back of the heart. Kiddos might need some help with this one!

And there it is! A fun and simple craft that focuses on the true meaning of Valentine's Day: kindness and compassion. It's quick and easy and doesn't cost much at all, so it's great for bigger groups!

Looking for more winter-themed CCD activities? The Unique Like a Snowflake craft was a huge hit, too!

Are we connected yet? If not, find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+, and Bloglovin so we can start sharing ideas together!