Valentine Bug Crafts
Let’s celebrate love with these simple Valentine bug crafts! Today we are going to learn 2 ways to make a love bug craft. The first has a few more steps, includes some painting and is best for elementary aged students. The second version can be done by any age and is even great as a toddler craft or preschool craft. And, as always, these crafts are the perfect way to practice fine motor skills and to promote creativity.
And, speaking of fine motor skills, have you checked out our book of fine motor activities? It was developed by a pediatric occupational therapist and contains not only crafts, but also lots of tips for improving your child’s fine motor skills.
Here are some other Valentines crafts that you might enjoy:
SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG
- 2 Paper plates (9-inch coated)
- Newspaper
- Pompoms
- Clothespin
- Black, pink and red paint
- Scissors
- Black and red construction paper
- Glue stick
- Single hole punch
- Metal brad
This love bug starts with a super basic craft supply…a paper plate. That is one of 27 items that is on our master list of supplies that we keep in our kids’ craft bag to use for every single one of the creative projects you see here. We stick to this list to make crafting with your kids so much easier and less stress for parents. Not only does it reduce your prep time, but it also helps control the mess of crafting with kids (ok…not entirely…but it does help).
Valentine Bug Craft Instructions
Step 1: Paint the Paper Plates
- Lay out some newspaper to protect your work surface.
- Place the paper plates on the newspaper, bottom side up.
- Squeeze out some black and some pink paint onto the newspaper.
- Pinch a pompom with a clothespin to form a “paint brush”. Repeat this for a second “paint brush”.
- Now paint one plate black and the other pink.
- Let the paint dry before moving on to step 2.
Step 2: Add Some Hearts
- Now that the paint has dried, cut the pink plate in half.
- On the newspaper or a second plate, squeeze out some red paint.
- Dip your fingertip into the red paint and make hearts on the halves of the pink plate (these are the wings of your love bug).
- To form a heart, make one fingerprint and then a second on top of that one at about a 45 degree angle.
- Give the hearts a minute to dry. (This won’t take long)
Step 3: Add the Wings to Your Love Bug Craft
- Overlap the 2 plate halves by about 1″ at one end.
- Now place those halves on top of the black plate.
- Punch a hole through both plates where the wings overlap.
- Then place your metal brad through the hole and separate it in the back so that everything is held in place. *Notice that we used a pink brad. If you do not have a pink one, just use whatever you have on hand. You can paint the top pink if you want, but it’s not necessary.
Step 4: Finish Off Your Valentine Craft
- From black construction paper, cut a circle that is about 3″ across.
- Then cut 2 thin strips of paper for the antennae.
- Glue the antennae to the circle using a glue stick.
- Then glue the circle in place to form the head of your Valentine bug craft. Press firmly until the glue takes hold.
- From a scrap of red construction paper, cut 2 small hearts. The easiest way to do this is to fold the paper in half and the cut a half heart shape right on the crease.
- Use the glue stick to attach the hearts to the end of your antennae for a nice finished look.
Preschool Love Bug Craft Instructions
This version of our Valentine bug crafts is meant to be simpler and works great as a Toddler craft or Preschool craft. Though kids of any age can enjoy making this version too.
SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG
- Paper plate (9-inch coated)
- Crayons or markers
- Black and pink construction paper
- Newspaper or extra paper plate
- Pink paint
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Love bug craft template
If you have filled your bag using our master list of supplies, you already have everything that you need to make this adorable love bug craft for preschoolers.
Step 1: Cut and Color the Paper Plate
- Cut a think triangle out of one side of your paper plate (as pictured). *For Toddlers, this can be done in advance by an adult. And for preschoolers, draw lines in place as a guideline to make cutting easier.
- Color the bottom of your paper plate entirely using a red crayon or marker.
Step 2: Use the Love Bug Craft Template
- Cut a circle that is about 5 ” across. This will be your bug craft body.
- Then cut another circle that is about 3″ across for the head.
- Next, snip 6 strips of paper for the legs and 2 more for the antennae.
- Glue all of the pieces in place using your glue stick on the side of your plate that is not colored.
Step 3 (Optional): Add More Hearts
- For an optional finishing touch, add small cut out hearts to the ends of the legs and antennae.
- The easiest way to cut out hearts is to fold a scrap of paper in half and cut a half heart on the fold.
Step 4: Now for the Fingerprint Hearts
- Squeeze out some pink paint onto a paper plate.
- Dip your fingertip into the paint and make heart spots on the back of your love bug craft. *To form a heart, place one fingerprint and then a second on top at a slight angle.
- Give the paint a minute to dry before playing with the Valentine craft.
Save these Valentine Bug Crafts for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…
