Valentine’s Day: Bug Pin Card

Who doesn’t love a pun?! Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to teach kids about them as they tend to be used on Valentine’s Day cards (like this one!).

Materials

• Printable unbeleafable
• Cardstock for printing onto
• Extra strength self-adhesive pins (my mother gave us these from my childhood days so we had to add glue to them as they were no longer sticky!)
• Bugs, lizards etc. (You can often find many sets of these at big craft stores- keep an eye out for a coupon!)
• Scissors
• Pencil/eraser
• Hole punch (We just poked through the cardstock, but this may be helpful for some children rather than punching the holes with the pin attached to the bug.)

Directions

• Remove the paper on your pins and carefully apply the underside of the bug to your pin.  (We had to add a bit of glue as ours were no longer sticky.)

• You could also do hair clips as an alternative:

• Write your name and the name of the recipient on the card in the “To” and “From” sections, using a pencil.

• Cut out your cards.

• Open your pin and carefully poke it through the paper twice and then secure the pin on the page.

• Give your cards to your classmates and/or friends!

Purpose

• Thinking of others.
• Writing for meaningful, real-life purposes.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills (removing paper, cutting etc.)

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces if you have to use glue.
• Use glue, pins and scissors with care and direct adult supervision and/or guidance.  (The glue featured was used by an older child with a parent, so be sure to chose a glue that is safe, age-appropriate and follow the product directions.)
• Small items such a the toys included (bugs, lizards) can be a choking hazard therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.