- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Will You Be Mine?
Games and Projects Using Candy Conversation Hearts
By Alex Powell
You'll need:
A pre-cut mat
Glue
Conversation hearts
Markers, crayons or glitter glue pens in Valentine's Day colors (optional)
Here's what you do:
Let your little one adhere the hearts to the pre-cut mat in a design of his choice. (For an extra-creative – but perhaps messier – touch, let him add decoration with markers, crayons or glitter glue pens.) Allow to dry and then secure a photo behind the decorated mat.
For another special gift, try giving a spoonful of love.
You'll need:
A wooden spoon
Ribbon
Conversation hearts
Glue
Here's what you do:
"Help your child pick out specific phrases based on who you are making it for, then glue the hearts to the end of the wooden spoon," says Kemper Brownlow. "Once he's done, set the spoon aside to dry, then tie a ribbon around the neck of the spoon with a note that says, 'Giving you a spoonful of love this Valentine's Day.'"
If you're having a Valentine's Day party or get-together, try using vases filled with conversation hearts as centerpieces, suggests Shelley Bueche, a mom from Austin, Texas. With help, your child can get involved in the decorating. Let her help you open bags of the candy and pour them into a large bowl or bucket. Then help her fill the vases, using a plastic measuring cup. While you keep a careful hold on the vases, she can scoop or pour to her heart's content.
Finally, kids old enough to have a grasp of numbers may enjoy playing an estimation game with the hearts. (This one is more exciting with a group!) Fill a jar or bowl with the hearts. Then write each child's name in a column on a large sheet of paper or poster board. Next to their name, make columns for "guess" and for "actual." Wash hands, and then let each child grab a handful of hearts. Write down their guess – then count the hearts for the actual answer. It's fun to see the difference between how much they think they can hold, and how much they can actually pick up.