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Valentine’s Day is a wonderful time to nurture love, kindness, and connection with our children. In the Waldorf curriculum, 'handwork'—the practice of creating with our hands—is an essential part of a child’s development, fostering creativity, patience, and a deep appreciation for natural materials. Handmade gifts carry a warmth and meaning that store-bought items simply cannot match. 

This year, we invite you to slow down and embrace the joy of crafting with these seven Waldorf-inspired, nature-based Valentine’s Day creations, each infused with love and intention. Here’s a list of recipes and tutorials for creating sweet, creative, hand-crafted gifts for your child to share with their friends and classmates!

Have some of your own hand-made Valentines creation ideas…? Please share them with us on Instagram! We’d love to see your family’s creations! 

1. Beeswax Heart Candles

Working with beeswax is a sensory-rich experience that children love. Create heart-shaped candles using natural beeswax sheets or melted beeswax poured into heart-shaped molds. These candles make beautiful gifts and bring a warm, golden glow to your Valentine’s celebrations. Here’s the recipe and process for DIY Heart-Shaped Beeswax Tea Light Candles.

Fun alternative: Melted Crayon Hearts! Up-cycle all those nubby crayons in the crayon bin and melt them down into cute Valentine keepsakes!

2. Felted Wool Hearts

Using natural wool roving and warm, soapy water, children can shape and felt soft, fluffy hearts. These can be given as gifts, strung together into a garland, or tucked into a child’s pocket as a comfort token. Needle felting is another option for older children, allowing for more detailed designs. Here’s the process and supplies needed for Needle-Felted Hearts from the Magic Onions.

Some other ideas: a printable applique pattern for Valentines Peonies from Wee Folk Art, and Wool Felt Pouches from Bella Luna Toys.

3. Handmade Valentine’s Cards with Pressed Flowers

Encourage your child to create heartfelt Valentine’s cards using handmade or watercolor paper decorated with pressed flowers and leaves. Simply collect and press flowers in a book a few weeks ahead of time, then glue them onto the cards. Add handwritten messages of love and gratitude.

Here’s a tutorial for making your own recycled paper (Valentines) cards from Bella Luna Tyos, as well as a tutorial for creating seed paper hearts from a Loverly Life.

4. Heart-Shaped Nature Weavings

Weaving with natural materials fosters patience and creativity. Create simple heart-shaped looms using sturdy twigs or cardboard, then weave in natural fibers, dried flowers, or found materials like feathers and grasses. These weavings make stunning, one-of-a-kind gifts. Check out this video tutorial for a Tiny Crochet Heart Pattern.

5. Lavender Sachets

Sew small heart-shaped pouches from natural cotton or linen fabric and fill them with dried lavender. These scented sachets can be placed in drawers, under pillows, or gifted to loved ones as a soothing reminder of affection. See this tutorial for creating your own Lavender Sachets!

6. Nature Walk Love Notes

Take a mindful nature walk with your child and gather small treasures—smooth stones, acorns, pinecones, or bark. Paint them with little love notes, simple hearts, or inspiring words. These make lovely gifts and can be placed in special spots to surprise family members.

We absolutely love this idea from Sprouting Wild Ones: creating heart-shaped valentines from organic materials using cardboard cutouts!

7. Salt Dough Heart Ornaments

Mix simple salt dough using flour, salt, and water, then roll it out and cut heart shapes. Press leaves, flowers, or fabric textures into the dough for a natural imprint. Once baked and hardened, children can paint or leave them in their natural state for a rustic, nature-inspired decoration. Here’s a recipe for salted dough and a tutorial for creating Nature Valentine Keepsakes from Little Pine Learners.

Special mentions…

• Valentine-themed everyday living items for the special gnomes in your life: a list from Wee Folk Art
• Everything you need for a Valentines Day Nature Scavenger Hunt (with free printable) from Backwoods Mama
• Also, three cool Valentines Day science experiments from The Best Ideas for Kids
   

By incorporating natural materials and a spirit of mindfulness, these Waldorf-inspired Valentine’s crafts invite children to express love and creativity in a heartfelt way. Whether gifting to family, friends, or simply cherishing the process, these handmade tokens of affection will create warm memories for years to come.

Share your handcrafted Valentines (or some very special inspo) with us over Instagram, and we will reshare them to our wider community!

SAVE THE DATE--FAMILY & FRIENDS DAY IS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH!

Join us for our annual Friends and Family Day at Wishing Well School, a special celebration of our vibrant learning community! This is a wonderful opportunity for parents, friends, and extended family to experience the magic of our school firsthand. Enjoy student-led presentations, creative performances, hands-on activities, and a chance to connect with teachers and fellow families. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or exploring our school for the first time, we warmly invite you to share in this joyful day. Reach out to us for more details—we can’t wait to welcome you!