Valentine Canvas – Easy Art Project for Kids

I love love love that my kids’s school does wonderful and educational things with them every day. It takes a lot of pressure off of me as a mom, and frees me up to do other things with them like read dozens of books, go to the park, and – one of my kids’ favorites – DO ART PROJECTS.

So this week, we decided to make a pretty Valentine’s canvas for their playroom, that can stay up all year. My kids really love looking at art that they’ve created and declaring, “I’m the artist! I made that!”

So I wanted something that would last. I decided against doing a project on paper, and went for something a bit more permanent on canvas. This project also gave us a great chance to use up some of the (tons of) random craft materials we’ve somehow acquired over the years.

Are you ready to get started?

Valentine Canvas Art Project for Kids

But hey, if you’re looking for something simpler and less messy, check out this origami sun-catcher tutorial for paper window hearts. You might like that! If you’re ready for mess, keep reading!

Step 1: Paint the canvas’s edges.

This is a little trickier, so I did it myself beforehand. I painted the canvas’s edges black, so that it would give the project a sort of “framed” look once it was hanging up.

Step 2: Blob paint on the top.

I put blobs of pink, red, and white paint all over the top of the canvas. This can result in some really cool swirls and textures once the kids use their brushes.

Step 3: Have kids paint!

At first, things started out looking really cool – lots of swirls and texture going on. But my kids decided to keep going beyond that stage – they wanted a more uniform look, so they worked together to blend everything into a pretty, vibrant dark pink color. They cheered when they were finished.

Step 4: Clean up and let it dry.

You’re done for now! Clean up the area and let your paint dry until tomorrow. 

Step 5: Pick out “goodies” for the canvas.

My kids helped me go through our craft materials and pick out everything that was red, pink, and silver (and they threw in a little bit of purple too). We ended up with jewels, pailettes, little and crocheted flowers. Tons of stuff to keep them busy.

Step 6: Sketch a design on the canvas.

I outlined 3 hearts with red permanent marker on the canvas (one for each kiddo – the big kids and the baby). Then, I told the kids they’d be decorating on the OUTSIDES of the hearts, so that the hearts will just show the paint they did, with all sorts of exciting stuff decorating the rest of the canvas.

Step 7: Glue on the goodies.

I gave my kids each a bottle of glue, and they went to town! They glued ALL of the goodies we had picked out onto the canvas, and it looked awesome! Then we went back to our craft materials and found some red and silver glitter glue, and a little vial of pink glitter. They filled in the blank space they still had, until they were satisfied.

Step 8: Let dry and display.

We let our goodies and glitter dry onto the canvas overnight before I hung it on the wall. It looks awesome, and the kids are super proud of it!

Want to do this project with your kids? Pin the picture below to save it so you won’t forget!

We’re going to do a greens-and-yellows St. Patrick’s Day one next, with a big four leaf clover! Can’t wait!