# Duct Tape Valentine Hearts
> Kids stick strips of red and pink duct tape onto a sandpaper or card stock heart, then trim the edges. They can turn the hearts into canvas art, gift tags or a mobile as homemade Valentine's presents.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/valentine-art-duct-tape-hearts/
- Ages: 4–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group
- Skills: fine-motor, scissor-skills, patterns, creativity

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 roll Pink duct tape
- 1 roll Red duct tape
- 1 sheet Sandpaper or card stock (any thick paper)
- 1 piece Heart template (household)
- 1 piece Pencil or marker for tracing (household)
- 1 piece Good pair of scissors (household)
- 1 piece Square canvas (optional)
- Glue (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Hole punch (optional)
- Heart-themed ribbon (optional)
- 1 piece Fine tip marker (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of sandpaper: Card stock paper (The author says card stock works as well.)

## Safety
- Supervise scissor use. Cutting duct tape is challenging, so an adult holds the tape taut while the child cuts.
- Sandpaper is rough on little hands. Card stock is a gentler base for younger kids.
- An adult should handle the hole punch and any glue for the canvas.

## Before you start
- Have a heart template ready. Use a smaller one for gift tags.
- Set out the brightly colored duct tape rolls and scissors at each station.

## Steps
1. Trace the heart template onto sandpaper or card stock and cut out the heart.
2. Roll out a strip of duct tape and stick it across the heart.
3. Adult holds the tape taut while the child cuts it off at the edge of the heart.
4. Keep adding strips to make a pattern, like alternating red and pink stripes or a criss-cross.
5. Flip the heart over and trim off the extra tape along the edges, with an adult's help.
6. For canvas art: glue the heart onto a square canvas.
7. For a gift tag: punch a hole, thread a heart ribbon through it, and write a message on the tape with a fine tip marker.
8. For a mobile: make several hearts and thread a ribbon through them all.

## Tips
- The cutting part can be quite challenging. Use a good pair of scissors, and have the adult hold the tape taut while the child cuts off the edge.
- We chose alternate strips of red and pink to keep it very seasonal. My 6 year old also wanted to do criss-cross patterns.
- Duct tape takes fine tip marker well, so write your message right on the strips.
- Making a gift tag? Make the duct tape heart a little bit smaller.
- I had sandpaper on hand from all our sandpaper art projects, but card stock works as well.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2015)

**Follow BlogMeMom's board Valentines on Pinterest.**
Materials

- **[Pink Duct Tape](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CH9Q3GC/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Red Duct Tape](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TOL428/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Hole Punch](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IBK9/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Hearts Ribbons](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009D4IH2C/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Sandpaper/card stock paper
- Canvas

### Process for making easy Valentine Art with duct tape

- Lay out any thick paper { I had sand paper on hand from all our [**sand paper art projects**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/sandpaper/)} You can use card stock paper as well.
- Have a heart template ready. Trace and cut out heart from the thick paper you have { sand paper in our case}
- Set out brightly colored duct tapes { we used the small red and pink ones}
- The kids can make any pattern on design using the tape. We chose to do alternate strips of the red and pinks to keep this Valentine Art project very seasonal. My 6 year old also wanted to do a criss cross patterns using the colors. They simply have to roll out the tape and stick them the way they want and cut off the edge.
- The cutting part is the one which can be quite challenging. Use a good pair of scissors to cut off the tape. You { the adult} can hold the tape taut while the child can cut off the edge with the scissors.
- Once the design has been achieved, flip the sandpaper heart over and have the kid {with your help} trim off the edges of the duct tape.



### To turn this *Valentine art into homemade presents* you can choose any of the three below routes

1.Glue the duct tape heart to a nice square canvas { we used a burlap one} 2. Punch a hole on the heart and thread a nice heart themed ribbon and make a cute gift tag. If you want to make a heart gift tag and go this route, make the duct tape heart a little bit smaller. Duct tape will take fine tip marker well. Write your message on the strips. 3. Create a few more Valentine art and make multiple hearts and thread ribbons through them all and make a heart mobile. { check out our last year [**Valentine heart mobile**](https://www.funlittles.com/valentines-day-activities-hearts-mobile/) here} **Want to see the pictures of the process and all the cute heart art, craft and presents we made?** Continue to the next page by clicking on "2" below. Cut the sandpaper or card stock into a heart shape and start sticking the tape over it.  Use a good pair of scissors to cut off at the edge of the heart.  Complete the heart with a favorite design/pattern.  Flip the heart and trim the edges.  Make all your favorite patterns.  Sweet Valentine Art project!  Punch a hole and thread a ribbon to make a gift tag { Make a smaller one}  Thread a couple of the hearts to make a mobile. Glue the heart to a canvas and make a wonderful homemade Valentine present for daddy.