Turn Leftover Valentines into Toddler Match Game

Ever wonder what to do with a ton of leftover valentines? Can't pass up a reason to buy heavily discounted valentines after Valentine's Day has passed? Fear not, my friends! If you've got a toddler always in need of something to keep his or her hands occupied (like I do), you're in luck. Here's how to turn those leftovers into a cute match game using a few materials and very little time...

Materials:

-2 matching sets of valentines (my set had 8 different valentine options, so I used 16 valentines total)

-scissors

-construction paper or cardstock

-laminator and laminating sheets

-Velcro

Instructions:

1. Cut characters out of two sets of valentines so that the words are no longer showing.

2. Place one set of valentines onto heavy cardstock.

3. Laminate cardstock and other set of loose characters and cut out. Place soft Velcro on each of the characters placed on cardstock. Place rough Velcro on the backs of the loose characters.

That's it! A few short steps lead you to a few brief but wonderful moments of free time while your tot enjoys his or her new, exciting match game!

Clothespin Panda Valentines

If you know me at all or have gotten a sense for the goofy things that make me laugh in reading this blog, you know I love a good, cheesy pun! Its one of the reasons I insist on having my daughter make her own valentines. That, and, I recently came across the valentine below in my local store and the grammar police inside of me went a little crazy! This year, we decided to channel our love for pandas into valentines for our cousins. While I'd love to say I came up with this adorable clothespin idea, I was actually inspired by these shark valentines and decided to use the same concept with pandas. The options are really limitless, as far as the animals you choose, and I'm actually hoping to try using pictures of the people I love to create the next set, so stay tuned...

Find out how you can make your very own panda valentines here...

Materials:

-white cardstock

-panda images (I searched for "free clipart panda face" through Google images and copied and pasted onto a Word document)

-scissors

-glue gun/glue sticks

-green cardstock

-fine point, permanent marker

Directions:

1. Print out pandas onto white cardstock.

2. Cut out pandas. Then, cut across the face of each panda and around the mouth, creating two separate pieces.

3. Turning the clothespin on its side, use hot glue to adhere the top of the panda face to the side of the clothespin facing upward. Place the bottom half of the panda face into the bottom of the clothespin.

4. Using the green cardstock, cut out leaf shapes. Place your valentine message on the leaf using a fine point, permanent marker.

5. Clip the leaf in the clothespin and send the valentines off to your faves! We will also be adding a small bag of Valentine's Day treats to our valentines.

Wishing all of you a happy and cheesy, pun-filled Valentine's Day!!!