We love homemade valentines and are always on the lookout for fun valentine ideas. Here’s a simple and fun candy-free valentine your kids can help you put together using playdough. I’ve also included some free valentine printables to help make this valentine for kids even easier to put together!
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This playdough and cookie cutter valentine is one of our absolute favorites to make and pass out each year. It’s candy-free and so much fun to make and assemble with your child! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Homemade Playdough and Cookie Cutter Homemade Valentine for Kids
Materials for Homemade Playdough Valentine
- Homemade playdough (Here’s our favorite playdough recipe.)
- Heart shaped cookie cutters (Similar to these. I bought mine in the dollar bins at our local Target.)
- Clear treat bags
- Ribbon
- Free valentine printable (link below in directions)
- Scissors & gluestick
- Optional: Cute scrapbooking paper (like this cute set)
Making the Homemade Playdough Valentine
1. Make your playdough and divide into individual portions. (The recipe linked above makes enough for 8 individual portions.) Roll each portion into a ball.
2. Place one playdough ball and one cookie cutter into a treat bag. Tie it closed with ribbon.
3. Print out the free valentine printables to use for valentine tags. There are two versions to choose from.
The first version is a bit larger and has a simple heart graphic. To use this version, I cut out the text and used a glue stick to attach it to some cute scrapbooking paper.
Play Dough Valentine Printable
The other version is a bit smaller and actually fits onto shipping sized labels (2 inch x 4 inch). You can simply print the text out onto the labels and then peel and stick them onto your scrapbooking paper. Then cut them apart!
Playdough Valentine Printable Labels (Shipping Size 2 in. x 4 in.)
4. After preparing your valentine tags, punch a hole in the corner. There’s room below the text for your child to write his/her name if you’d like. Then just tie them to your ribbon.
5. Your valentines and done and ready to be passed out to your friends or classmates!
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chelle says
January 19, 2013 at 4:28 amVery cute! My little guy loves play dough!
Thanks for linking up with Sharing Saturday!
Jessica @ Play Trains! says
January 19, 2013 at 10:08 amCute idea! I might do this if I can find some little train cookie cutters. 🙂 I saw you on Sharing Sunday.
buggy & buddy says
January 19, 2013 at 10:34 amTrain cookie cutters would be so cute! Let me know if you find any!
simplysummers says
January 21, 2013 at 8:42 amThis is such a cute idea!! This would be great for my daughter’s Mother’s Day Out classmates!! Thanks for sharing. I found you on Link & Learn! 🙂
buggy & buddy says
January 23, 2013 at 1:31 pmThanks! I love your blog by the way. I really want to try those snowflakes you made~ Lucy would love it!
simplysummers says
January 23, 2013 at 3:26 pmThank you so much! I just revamped my blog back in September to start chronicling our preschool journey among other things. Before that, it was pretty much just a journal for me and a way to keep friends and family informed, but I am loving the way it’s going now. Now that the holidays are over, we can resume our version of chaotic normal. The snowflakes are fun and pretty easy!! 🙂
buggy & buddy says
January 23, 2013 at 8:10 pmI started the same way~ just using the blog to record things with the kids. But, as I’ve decided to take a break from classroom teaching, this has morphed into something more! Can’t wait to try those snowflakes, just need to search for our painter’s tape!
simplysummers says
January 23, 2013 at 8:18 pmLOL…I had to use painter’s tape, because I didn’t have any masking tape. I only had the wide painter’s tape, so I had to cut it in half so it wasn’t so fat. 😉
Debbie says
January 21, 2013 at 9:37 amThanks for sharing this! I can use it with my granddaughters! Thanks for sharing at Delicate Construction.
Vicky @ Mess For Less says
January 21, 2013 at 1:41 pmThis is such a sweet idea and I love that the kids can help prepare it. Plus it’s way better than giving classmates candy.
buggy & buddy says
January 23, 2013 at 1:27 pmThanks, Vicky. I just remember loving it so much (as did Lucy) when she received this valentine a few years back. So easy, fun and cute!
Anonymous says
January 23, 2013 at 7:50 pmI LOVE this idea for my daughter’s preschool! Where did you find bulk mini plastic heart shaped cookie cutters? Please respond ASAP since I would love to do this for this year! Thanks!
buggy & buddy says
January 23, 2013 at 8:08 pmWe were just talking about this on my Facebook page. This year I found them at Target in sets of 5. But, I remember in years past finding them at Cost Plus as singles so you could buy as many as you wanted. My Cost Plus does not have them this year, but another reader found the larger ones online.
Keri Holan says
January 24, 2013 at 5:04 pmHow much does this make? My son has 22 kids in his class so im wondering how much i would need to make. Thanks!
buggy & buddy says
January 24, 2013 at 7:39 pmI split this batch up into 8 mini play dough balls that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, which seem to be the perfect size if you are using mini cookie cutters (about 1 inch across) to go with it. So you’d need about 3 batches to be safe for a class of 22. If you are using full size cookie cutters (about 3 inches across), you can get about 4-5 larger dough balls from this batch. So 5 batches should be good if using the larger cookie cutters. Here’s an old post with photos of how large the batch of dough looks~ Our Favorite Play Dough Recipe. Please let me know how it turns out! Hope you both enjoy it!
cheeriosandlattes1 says
January 25, 2013 at 8:07 pmThis is such a great idea! I love this instead of all the candy! I can tell you were a teacher who probably dealt with the Vday ‘sugar high’! 🙂 haha I read your profile and love that you are your husband are/were teachers too. My husband and I are both teachers too. You are a Featured Favorite this week on Saturday Show & Tell on Cheerios and Lattes! Thanks so much for sharing with us last week! We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week! We love having you join us! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Mackenzie 🙂
buggy & buddy says
January 25, 2013 at 10:48 pmThank you, Mackenzie! So thrilled to be featured on your blog. It’s one of my absolute favorites! Happy Friday!
Rebecca from Here Come the Girls says
January 25, 2013 at 11:56 pmThat is such a lovely idea. So cute and much better than candy.
Thanks for linking to the Sunday Showcase
Mary Catherine says
January 26, 2013 at 7:31 amHi there! I saw this post on Cheerios & Lattes Saturday Show & Tell . . . had to come by and check it out right away! I teach preschool and LOVE the non-candy valentine ideas. Plus, play dough fun lasts longer than eating candy (and the candy’s resultant sugar-high). Love, love, love! 🙂
buggy & buddy says
January 26, 2013 at 8:44 amI agree~ love the non-sugar valentines so much! Thanks so much for stopping by! I was just reading your post with all the love notes from your son. So adorable! My daughter’s almost at the same stage so I know the feeling of your heart melting when you get those sweet messages!
Mary Catherine says
January 26, 2013 at 7:32 amPinning this, as well — hope that’s cool.
buggy & buddy says
January 26, 2013 at 8:44 amThanks for pinning!
enchantedhomeschoolingmom says
January 27, 2013 at 9:59 amSuper cute idea! Pinning (and printing) this. Thank you for linking up to the brand new Hearts for Home Blog Hop!
Heather Bowen says
January 27, 2013 at 4:07 pmGreat idea! I think we will use this for our Valentine’s this year! Much better idea than candy.
Thanks for linking up to the Hearts for Home blog hop! Blessings!!
Tracey@We-Made-That says
January 31, 2013 at 4:42 amLove this! We make homemade valentines every year and I love this idea! And what kids does not love play dough! Thanks so much for sharing on We Made That!
Kate says
January 2, 2014 at 4:05 pmGorgeous!!!!
Stephanie says
January 6, 2014 at 8:47 pmthese are just adorable. I’m going to pin this so I have it when my boy is older. Thanks!
Chelsey says
January 7, 2014 at 10:35 amThanks so much, Stephanie!
maryanne @ mama smiles says
January 8, 2014 at 7:33 pmThis is a fantastic idea! I think I need to find some heart cookie cutters…
Save On Everything says
February 6, 2014 at 6:55 amHi there! Just stopped by to let you know we featured this on our recent blog post. Such a cute idea! http://bit.ly/KidsVDay
Stephanie says
October 27, 2014 at 9:47 amHI I was hoping you could tell me how long this stays formable for? Before it dries out? I need to make numerous bathes for my daughters frozen party for the Olaf station.
Thanks!!!
Chelsey says
October 27, 2014 at 1:42 pmHi Stephanie- As long as you have it sealed in a baggie or other airtight container, it will be soft for up to two weeks! Hope your daughter has a wonderful party!
ash says
January 10, 2015 at 7:50 amDoes it have to be homemade play dough?
Chelsey says
January 10, 2015 at 9:26 amNot at all- any play dough would work! 🙂
shane says
January 14, 2015 at 11:46 amI use a kool aid play dough recipe. Then you have scented play dough.