Try making one of our favorite Valentine’s Day crafts! These heart suncatchers are beautiful hanging in the window & so fun to make!
Updated December 2022
Here’s a sweet Valentine’s Day craft that makes for a great handmade gift for family and teachers, but also a lovely Valentine decoration.
Plus, it uses inexpensive materials that are surprisingly great for all kinds of arts and crafts projects!
- Paper plates are sturdy like card stock or poster board, cheap, readily available, and have a built-in frame. They are great for drawing, painting, collage, and suncatchers!
- Contact paper, also called sticky-back plastic, is awesome for all kinds of collage and stained glass or suncatcher projects. It’s also widely available (you can find it with the shelf liner paper at the grocery or drug store) and inexpensive.
- Index dividers can be a surprising addition to the art supply cupboard. Who knew?! Buy the translucent colored ones for suncatcher and stained-glass projects, collage, and multi-media art.
Although, if you wanted to make this Valentine’s Day suncatcher but don’t have the translucent colored index dividers, you could also easily substitute colored tissue paper, lace, ribbon, flower petals, etc. for the colored film.
Heart Suncatchers with Paper Plates
Note: This is one of the many Valentine crafts and activities from Jean’s book, The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons & Holidays with Crafts & Recipes.
You’ll also find process art activities, handmade gift ideas, kid-made cards, decorations, recipes, and picture books about Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day Suncatchers
From The Artful Year, by Jean Van’t Hul, © 2015 by Jean Van’t Hul. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boulder, CO.
Colorful hearts catching the light in the window–what could be better at Valentine’s Day?
MATERIALS
- Scissors
- Small paper plates
- Paintbrush
- Watercolor paints
- Transparent contact paper
- Index dividers made out of translucent colored film, or colored tissue paper
- Hole punch
- Ribbon or string
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare your frame
Cut a heart out of the center of the paper plate. Paint the plate with watercolors.
Press a square of contact paper to the back of the paper plate so the heart is covered, and the sticky side faces the front. - Add colored pieces
Cut the translucent colored index dividers into small pieces. Press them to the sticky contact paper.
- Hang your suncatcher!
Use the hole punch to add a hole to the top of the paper plate and string a ribbon through. Hang the suncatcher in a sunny window.
What are your favorite easy Valentine crafts for kids?
More Valentine Activities for Kids
- 30 Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids (with Printable List!)
- 12 Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids
- How to Make a Valentine’s Day Garland for Kids
- DIY Valentine Decorations: Melted Crayon Hearts Garland
- How to Make DIY Valentines for Kids with Cardboard Hearts
- The Best Books for Valentine’s Day
Want even more creative ideas?
Check out our Hearts Activities pack!
We think you’re going to LOVE this sweet collection of adorable heart activities! This 32-page printable eBook is full of coloring pages, drawing prompts, games, and more!
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