Tissue Paper Valentine Heart

I love this age with my daughter. She is really starting to understand me and the world around her. I love playing with her and talking to her. One thing I am struggling with is finding ways to help her learn and grow - aside from just everyday activities and classes.

Having a teaching background, I feel like I want to be teaching her. But when I taught, I was used to Kindergarten and up. Even when I taught first grade, I felt like I was still lost as to what the students were capable of. 

So I decided with my fresh start, I don't care what I think she is capable of. I am going to do tons of activities with her - no matter what I think she can do. I am going to push her limits and start doing more activities with her. {You benefit - think of all of the awesome posts!}

One thing I know she LOVES to do is tear apart tissue and tissue paper. So I found a way to let her go to town.

Materials Needed:

• Tissue Paper - I used leftover red and white from Christmas, then found some pink and purple when I cleaned my craft closet.
• Card stock - any color you would like
• Glue Stick
• Scissors

First I gave her strips of  the tissue paper to tear up. She loved this. She was all over tearing the paper to shreds. {I was following behind cleaning up the paper to use} She saw me putting the pieces into the container, and she started to help - she really does love to clean {I often wonder who's child she is..}. I had to tear some of the tissue paper into smaller shreds but most of them I left alone. 

{No pictures - her arms were moving too fast for my camera!! But you could see her little fingers working hard.}

Then, I put the card stock on the table and we {her hand first, mine on top} spread the glue all over the middle of the paper. I told her to take the paper out and put it here. She did! In handfuls!

Then she tried to put it back in but I showed her that most of them were stuck. We pressed down on the tissue paper and then shook off the pieces that didn't stick. 

I then cut out a heart from the middle of the page. She wanted to do more so we ended up doing three {that is all the paper I had out} and then she was off to play with her Little People. 

Suggestions for modification:

• Use contact paper for the tissue and cut the heart. Hang in the window for a sun catcher.
• Glue onto a card for a special Valentine
• Attach string and hang from the ceiling or make a mobile with multiple.

Infants - Make it the sun catcher or a mobile yourself and let them observe. The colors will help stimulate their little brains. Older infants could drop pieces of tissue paper onto the glue.

Toddlers - See above. Make sure that you are naming the colors to reinforce them. We will also use them daily to reinforce color names {at least of pink, purple, red and white}

Preschool - Have them still do the tissue paper tear and glue. Then draw a line for the heart and allow them to try and cut along the line using safety scissors.

School Age - 

• Allow them independence to choose colors, glue and cut on their own. 
• Have them cut squares of the tissue paper and encourage them to make a pattern on the paper.

Have fun recreating this easy Valentine project with your kids. Feel free to share your creations with me on Facebook or Instagram. Happy crafting!

For more Valentine fun, follow my Valentine's Day board on Pinterest.