It’s time to start thinking about putting up those Valentine’s Day decorations. The kids love to see things decorated. What makes it nicer is when they are decorations they have made, or helped to make. Let’s get started with some ideas.

Who remembers those candies that some people call conversation hearts? It would be very easy to cut out hearts of different sizes and make your own to decorate windows, doors or any other area you have set aside to embellish. Let your kids come up with some cute phrases. You can also take this opportunity to purchase some of the candy and share stories with them from your childhood.

Another cute idea is to find a nice branch from a tree and spray paint it white. Again, let the kids cut out hearts of different colors and sizes. They could put different sayings onto the hearts, write family and friends’ names or simply decorate the hearts any way they want.

At one of my favorite sites, MakingFriends.com, there is a very simple, but cute idea that a child who can tie knots would be able to make. You will need a wire form, probably from a hanger would be fine, shaped into a heart. Next, find bandanas in the colors you like and cut or tear them into strips. The next step is to simply tie the strips onto the wire form. Be certain the knots are pushed very close together. This is so cute when finished!

Do you have so many of those foam hearts that you just don’t know what else to do with them? Use them to make Valentine’s Day animals! There are many sites that can give you some ideas, or more fun, create your own. These can be done like the tanagram-type puzzles to make dogs, cats, mice, fish, or even a snake. Once the hearts are glued together, just use some wiggly eyes, markers and/or paint to add some character to your new pet.

Finally, are you planning a special dinner? Why not decorate your table? You could make placemats using glitter, heart and cupid shapes or even things you have cut out from old Valentine’s Day cards put between pieces of contact paper. Cut paper tubes into smaller sections, paint and decorate them to become napkin rings. If you have stem glasses, use pony beads or heart shaped beads to make those cute little rings that decorate the stems of the glasses.

Hopefully, you have been given some inspiration to have fun decorating for this fun and whimsical holiday. Let me know how your decorations turned out. I’d love to hear about some of the things you did to make your home Valentine’s Day ready.