Oh sweet little Valentine’s Day Heart Art Activity – you were pretty cute and perfect.

I had this Valentine’s Day Heart Art activity draw up in my head but it wasn’t until I got it out onto paper that I knew it was going to be winner. And my 6-year-old did too.

RELATED: Looking for easy Valentine’s Day activities for kids? I’ve got a great list of 30+ ideas.

It was such an easy heart art activity to set up

I’m a big fan of quick and easy around here. I like activities that are set up fast – I don’t have time to be laboring over a project over here. I’ve got loads of things to do.

So when I get ready to do an activity or set up a project for my kids, I better get the best bang for my “time” buck.

I’m happy to report – I got my money’s worth here!

This was so simple to “draw up”

Really, this took no time at all.

Supplies:

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I rolled out a large piece of kraft paper for my kindergartener. She’s a “big kid” (I type and cry at the same time) so I was able to go BIG here.

Scale and age and attention span go hand-in-hand. Make sure it’s the right “size” for your kiddo. Big art can be intimidating to a little one.

I truly just started adding hearts – nothing special about my placement. Hearts everywhere, making sure they overlap constantly. The overlapping is key – those smaller spots that overlap will be painted different colors.

I hung mine on the wall but YOU DON’T HAVE TO

I hang my art on the wall for ONE reason: I’m a blogger. I need to take a nice photo of the art in progress. Wall art photographs better than floor art.

You are (probably) not a blogger so you can do this activity on the floor or the table.

RELATED: Looking for another great “heart art” activity?

Do it wherever you feel comfortable and wherever it’s going to fit best in your life. That’s the wall for me.

RELATED: There is a bonus to doing art on the wall though – kids grow arm strength painting “up and out.” You can read more about it here.

Here’s how I made sure my Valentine’s Day Heart Art didn’t end up a mud colored mess:

Ever do an art project with kids only to have it turn into a muddy colored mess?

Sometimes, I let this happen in the name of learning and free exploration, but other times: I limit their paint colors.

I limit the paint color choices to ones in the same “family” that can mix together and play nicely.

For this activity, I used a muffin tin to hold our paint with various shades or red, purple and pint (using white to vary the tones).

Bonus tips for painting with kids:

• Set a boundary – make sure you’ve explicitly told them where to and where not to paint
• Have a wash cloth next to them. Teach them to monitor and catch their drips
• Make an “exit strategy” play: what happens if this goes south? (My plan is always carrying them to the bathtub)

Valentine’s Day Heart Art Activity: We really liked you!

Both my kindergartener and I were just tickled to bits with how this project came out. Exactly the right amount of Valentine’s day fun!