# Sticky Pom Pom Hearts Garland
> Glue clear contact paper hearts onto cereal-box hearts with the sticky side up. Kids press pom poms on, then the hearts are hole-punched and tied with Valentine ribbon into a garland. No glue for the kids to handle, so it works as a toddler Valentine craft.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/valentine-craft-sticky-pom-pom-hearts-garland/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 25 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: fine-motor, counting, skip-counting, colors, patterning, addition
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Pom poms
- 1 sheet Clear contact paper
- 1 piece Cereal box or cardboard (household)
- Glue
- 1 piece Hole punch
- Valentine themed ribbons
- 1 piece Good pair of scissors (household)
- 1 piece Heart shape to trace (e.g. foam hearts) (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of ribbon: Red-and-white baker's twine (The hearts in one photo are strung with red-and-white twine.)

## Safety
- Pom poms are small and a choking hazard for toddlers. Supervise closely and keep them away from children who still mouth objects.
- An adult (or an older child) does the cutting with scissors and the hole punching.
- Hang the finished garland out of reach of young children. Ribbon and string are a strangulation risk.

## Before you start
- Fold a sheet of clear contact paper, trace 3 medium hearts on it and cut through both layers to get 6 hearts. An older child could help with the cutting.
- Use the same heart outline to cut 6 hearts from an old cereal box or cardboard.

## Steps
1. Peel the backing off a contact paper heart.
2. Glue the non-sticky side onto a cardboard heart, leaving the sticky side facing up.
3. Press pom poms onto the sticky heart.
4. Place the pom poms as close together as you can so the heart looks full.
5. Count, sort colors or make patterns with the pom poms as you go.
6. Adult: punch a small hole at the top of each heart.
7. Thread a Valentine ribbon through each hole and tie it.
8. Tie the hearts along a long ribbon and hang the garland, for example over the fireplace.

## Tips
- Peel the backing from the contact paper only when you're ready to start the craft.
- Fold the contact paper before tracing, so each cut gives you two hearts.
- The sticky part of the contact paper was strong enough to hold all the pom poms together.
- I encouraged the kids to place all the pom poms as close as possible so the hearts will have a fuller look.
- With the contact paper doing the sticking, this instantly becomes a toddler Valentine craft. The kids can decorate and pattern to their hearts' content.
- Our mantle looks so festive, colorful and gorgeous.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2015)

Easy Valentine Craft for kids using contact paper and pom poms. This simple pom poms craft turns into a beautiful pompom hearts garland!

**Materials**

- **[Pom Poms](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00114Q4KO/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Clear Contact Paper](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D8GBO2G/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Hole Punch](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IBK9/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Ribbons](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005X599LS/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Cereal Box/Cardboard
- Glue

### How to set up this fun pom poms craft

Lay out a sheet of clear contact paper and trace medium sized hearts. I used our Dollar Store foam hearts I had on hand from our hearts mobile post. Before tracing the hearts I folded the contact paper and traced 3 hearts on it. Using a good pair of scissors I cut the the three hearts and ended up with 6 hearts. { You could involve an older child to do the cutting } After you have your hearts, use the same hearts outline to cut out 6 hearts from an old cereal box or cardboard.  Just when you are ready for this Valentine craft, peel the backing from the contact paper and use glue to adhere the non-sticky side to the cardboard heart cut outs leaving the sticky part of the contact paper up. Now the fun part begins!! { All our previous [**contact paper crafts**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/contact-paper/) here} With the sticky side up, now the sticky hearts are ready to be prettied up. With the use of contact paper, this pom poms craft has instantly become a toddler Valentine craft. The kids can decorate, sticky, pattern to their hearts content. You can incorporate so many learning concepts with this Valentine craft activity. Think counting, skip counting, colors, patterning, addition. Aside that this craft is a fantastic fine motor exercise.  How easy can a Valentine craft get? Isn't this heart gorgeous?  Punch a small hole on top of all the hearts and string pretty Valentine themed ribbons through them.  I enjoyed watching the kids create with the colorful pom poms.  After tying them up in hearts ribbons we set up the whole garland over the fireplace. The sticky part of the contact paper was strong enough to hold all the pom poms together. I encouraged the kids to place all the pom poms as close as possible so the hearts will have a fuller look.  Perfect for the season! Our mantle looks so festive, colorful and gorgeous.