Foil painted heart crafts are such a fun and simple way to paint hearts for Valentine’s Day with toddlers and preschoolers.
This activity looks a little bit like magic, feels like process art, and only uses a handful of basic supplies you probably already have at home. All you need are washable markers, aluminum foil, and water—and the results are always colorful and surprising.
This is honestly one of my favorite ways to paint, and every single time we do it I end up thinking, Why don’t we do this more often? The setup is quick, the process is engaging, and the finished hearts always look beautiful. And coloring on foil with markers is way more satisfying than you may think! Plus when you spray the foil with water and see the colors blend and spread across the paper, it is so cool, especially for little ones who love seeing cause and effect in action.
Using foil painting to color hearts for Valentine’s Day works especially well when you choose colors that are close together on the color wheel. Sticking with pinks, reds, and purples creates gorgeous blends that feel very “Valentine’s Day.” That said, this craft is also a great opportunity for learning through experimentation. If you have a child who loves doing things their own way (you know the ones who proudly choose black or gray just because it’s unexpected), let them try mixing colors that aren’t usually paired together. It’s such a natural way to explore color mixing and talk about what happens when colors blend.
What I also love about this craft is that it’s forgiving. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, and every heart turns out unique. It’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who want to explore without worrying about staying inside lines.
Materials for Foil Painted Heart Craft
- Aluminum foil
- Washable markers
- Spray bottle
- Water
- White paper
- Black marker
How to Make Foil Painted Hearts
- Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil and tape it flat to your work surface so it doesn’t slide around.
- Invite your toddler or preschooler to color all over the foil using washable markers. We used pinks, reds, and purples, but any colors work beautifully.
- On a sheet of white paper, draw a heart using a black permanent marker. You can keep it simple or add patterns, lines, or designs inside the heart. You can also use our heart printables if you prefer. You can find tons of different patterned hearts here, there are free to download.
- Fill a spray bottle with water and lightly mist the colored foil. You want it damp, but no puddles of water.
- Carefully place the paper heart-side down onto the wet foil. Press gently, then slowly lift the paper to reveal the transferred colors.
- Repeat as many times as your child wants—each print turns out a little different, and that’s part of the fun.
This foil painted heart craft is low-prep, visually exciting, and perfect for Valentine’s Day process art with young kids.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
