Valentine's Day is almost here and store displays are already full of heart shaped goodies. This year, set some time aside to make some fun Valentine's Day treats and crafts with your kids. It's a nice way to spend some quality time together and you are creating something your child can give away to relatives and friends. All you need are a few basic supplies and a little imagination. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Start by making Valentine's Day cards together. They are quick and easy to do. Your child can give the finished cards to parents, grandparents and close friends. Start with a few sheets red or pink construction paper. Fold each sheet in half to make the basic card shape. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to let your child trace a heart shape on the card. You can also it on a different sheet of construction paper and let your child cut the heart out. Let him or her glue it on the card. Layers of different sizes of hearts make for a nice effect as well. Then it's time to decorate the card with crayons, markers, stickers, glitter and any other crafting supplies. Your child can write a special message in the card, or you can do the writing instead. Then it's time to mail the card, or even better ? hand deliver it.

Heart shaped sugar cookies make the perfect Valentine's Day treat ? especially when they are decorated.. Make a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough, or pick up some pre-made dough at the grocery store. Roll it out and let your child use heart shaped cookie cutters to make the cookies. Bake the cookies according to directions of your dough. Make a glaze by mixing milk and powdered sugar. Add a few drops of red food coloring to turn this icing glue pink. Brush some of this icing on each cookie, then have your child add sprinkles and small candies to decorate these special heart-shaped cookies.

Don't forget to decorate the house for Valentine's Day. Make a garland out of construction paper hearts and hang it over the door. You can also make a simple wreath by cutting large heart shapes out of pink and red construction paper. Cut them out and arrange them around the outer ring of a paper plate. Write ?Happy Valentine's Day? on the inside of the plate and your wreath is done.

If your child wants to make treat bags for a few special friends, here's an idea. Cut two matching heart shapes out of thick cardboard or card stock. Use a hole punch to make holes around the bottom part of each heart. Line up the hearts and then use some red thread or ribbon to sew the two heart shapes together. Don't add any holes to the top part of the hearts. This will be the opening of the bag. You can add a long piece of string toward the top to make a handle. Let your child add a few pieces of candy to each heart shaped bag before giving them away.

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