Crafting is a heartfelt way to express love and appreciation, especially on occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. This year, why not light up the lives of those you cherish with a handmade Tissue Paper Heart Lantern? This simple yet stunning craft is perfect for setting a warm and loving atmosphere, making it an ideal gift or decorative piece for these special days. Whether you’re aiming to surprise your mom with a thoughtful gesture or add a romantic touch to your Valentine’s celebration, this lantern craft promises to bring smiles and a cozy glow to any room.
Activity Overview
- Age Suitability: This craft is good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.
- Mess Level: The mess level for this craft is medium.
- Difficulty to Create: Low.
Materials Needed
- Mason jar
- White glue or Mod Podge
- Paintbrush
- White tissue paper, cut into squares
- Heart lever punch (small and large) or scissors
- Pink and red tissue paper (use the heart lever punch to make hearts in different sizes or cut hearts with scissors)
- LED tea candle
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare Your Jar: Ensure your Mason jar is clean and dry before starting. This will help the glue adhere better to the surface.
- Apply the White Tissue Paper: Using the paintbrush, apply a thin layer of white glue or Mod Podge on a small section of the jar. Place a square of white tissue paper over the glue, smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles. Repeat this process, overlapping the squares slightly until the entire jar is covered. Let it dry for a few minutes.
- Decorate with Hearts: While the jar is drying, use the heart lever punch or scissors to create a variety of heart shapes from the pink and red tissue paper. Once the jar is dry to the touch, apply another layer of glue over the white tissue paper, then place the tissue paper hearts randomly or in a pattern over the jar. Overlap the hearts for a fuller look.
- Seal the Lantern: After decorating the jar with hearts, brush another thin layer of glue over the entire surface to seal the tissue paper in place. Allow it to dry completely.
- Add a Light Source: Once your lantern is dry, place a small LED tea light or a string of fairy lights inside the jar. Avoid using real candles as the heat may pose a fire risk with tissue paper.
Tips for Success
- Work in small sections to prevent the glue from drying before you can apply the tissue paper.
- Use a light touch with the glue to avoid tearing the tissue paper.
- Experiment with different shades of pink and red for a dynamic, layered look.
Skills Learned
- Fine Motor Skills: Handling small pieces of tissue paper and using the paintbrush to apply glue enhances hand-eye coordination.
- Creativity and Design: Deciding on the placement of hearts encourages creative thinking and design skills.
- Patience and Concentration: Following the steps and waiting for the glue to dry teaches patience and focus.
This Tissue Paper Heart Lantern Craft is a beautiful way to celebrate love and show appreciation on Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Not only is it an enjoyable activity that families can do together, but it also results in a gorgeous, glowing lantern that serves as a reminder of love and warmth. So light up your loved one’s day with this charming, handmade craft that’s sure to be cherished.
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.
Tissue Paper Heart Lantern Craft
Materials
- Mason jar
- White glue or Mod Podge
- Paint brush
- White tissue paper, cut into squares
- Heart lever punch (small and large) or scissors
- Pink and red tissue paper (use the heart lever punch to make hearts in different sizes or cut hearts with scissors)
- LED candle
Instructions
- Prepare Your Jar: Ensure your Mason jar is clean and dry before starting. This will help the glue adhere better to the surface.
- Apply the White Tissue Paper: Using the paintbrush, apply a thin layer of white glue or Mod Podge on a small section of the jar. Place a square of white tissue paper over the glue, smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles. Repeat this process, overlapping the squares slightly until the entire jar is covered. Let it dry for a few minutes.
- Decorate with Hearts: While the jar is drying, use the heart lever punch or scissors to create a variety of heart shapes from the pink and red tissue paper. Once the jar is dry to the touch, apply another layer of glue over the white tissue paper, then place the tissue paper hearts randomly or in a pattern over the jar. Overlap the hearts for a fuller look.
- Seal the Lantern: After decorating the jar with hearts, brush another thin layer of glue over the entire surface to seal the tissue paper in place. Allow it to dry completely.
- Add a Light Source: Once your lantern is dry, place a small LED tea light or a string of fairy lights inside the jar. Avoid using real candles as the heat may pose a fire risk with tissue paper.
