Kid’s Valentine Art with Cork Stamps

Here is an easy painting activity for kids with a Valentine’s Day theme. Today we are using wine corks instead of paintbrushes or stamps, so save some of yours or ask a neighbor or relative to keep a few if you don’t have any at your house and enjoy some crafting fun!

I photographed my 3 year old doing this activity, but this would be great for elementary kids or older as well as some 1-2 year olds. Ellette isn’t quite 18 months old and she would have loved this! Unfortunately, it is tricky to have her participate AND take pictures, especially when it comes to paint. I would suggest trying this activity with little ones about 12 months or older, depending on your child.

Here’s What You Need

• Paint. This is my tried-and-true, go-to washable paint I’ve linked on previous posts. I seriously love the colors.

• Paint palette

• Corks. I forgot to give my husband the memo to save some, so we just asked a few family members to set some aside for us.

• Marker- optional

• Kraft paper. You could also decorate gift bags or cards for a personalized touch.

• Smock

• Trash bag, paper bag, or plastic bag to work on

Set up

2-5 minutes

1. Set up your trash bag and the paper/card/gift bag. If you are making cards or gift bags, tape down the corners using painter’s tape.

2. Draw some hearts or write your child’s name in bubble or block letters on the paper if you want to give some direction or idea of how to participate with this activity. I asked Vaila beforehand if she wanted to start with a blank paper or have me write or draw something for her and she asked for hearts to fill in.

3. Put the paint in the palette and involve your child in mixing colors. We only used 3 colors to start and had a wonderful time talking about and planning how to mix them.

Clean Up

2-5 minutes

1. Remove the smock and wash hands as necessary.

2. Wash off the palette and wipe down any stray paint. The washable paint we use cleans up so well!

3. If you are saving the creation, let it dry. If not, throw away the paper.

Clearly my artistic skills leave something to be desired, but KIDS DO NOT CARE! My kids also think I have a lovely singing voice, so let your kids be your hype team for as long as possible. Soon enough they will ask questions such as, “Why does your face look like that?” and “Why do you have so many lines around your eyes when you smile?”, so I’m choosing to let them be amazed by my mediocre-at-best artwork for just a little while longer.

Depending on your child, you might consider being completely hands off and simply observing or giving them some ideas of how to use the corks to make patterns or designs. I’m not talking about telling them what has to be done, but you could ask “Should we make the inside of this heart purple?” or “What color do you want your name to be?”. Both options are wonderful, but this can be a great opportunity to provide a space to practice making a plan and watching that plan come to life, troubleshooting together along the way.

Vaila very much learns by observing recently, so it is helpful to her to watch me make a few dots first or have some idea of how she could approach a new activity. Once she gets in the swing of things, she usually takes off in her own creative direction (spy the end of this post to see what I mean), but she likes some invitation or demonstration first.

Having a specific color scheme in mind for Valentine’s Day allowed us to have more in depth conversations and real-life practice mixing colors. It took us a few tries to get the pink just right according to Vaila’s plan. We talked about how to make the purple lighter or darker and got to talk about her color preferences in that day. We had to problem solve mixing the paint because the corks were not working in such a small space, so we did end up using the tip of a paintbrush to mix.

Spending a few uninterrupted minutes always carves out the space for great questions and learning. I know I am guilty of trying to rush through the mundane or trying to help move the process along so we can “just get on with it”, but I’m setting an intention of recognizing that I am giving something magical to my children in those moments. There is value in the slowness and messiness of early motherhood, even if sometimes it feels like we are moving soooo slowly. Kids have no sense of time or urgency. They are not born knowing how to hurry. They relish the good and take the time they need to figure things out. I’m really seeing that maybe us adults have a lot to learn in this arena.

The last point I want to make is that this is process art. It might not look objectively beautiful and you will not be getting any calls from the art museum to display this piece, but it belongs to your child. Maybe it’s my sentimentality, but I love process art the best! While I do enjoy a nice and tidy craft that can be displayed or gifted, the messy and abstract art from the kids really shows their personalities. If you want to read more about process art, this article has a nice summary.

This activity allows some wonderful creativity, indepdence, and color learning. Notice the overflowing white paint in the picture below? Vaila wanted to pour it herself and she did a fantastic job! Was it a bit much? Sure. Did I have to fight an inner urge to stop her or do it myself? Yep. Did it hurt anything? No. Did she learn from that expeirence? Absolutely.

I hope you enjoyed this easy art activity idea for the kids. With just a few supplies you can create an opportunity for fostering imagination and learning. Plus, I love Valentine’s Day, so you know I am here for the pink and purple heart theme!

If you haven’t already, check out this post about The 14 Days of Love for some fun ideas as we are gearing up to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You don’t need 14 days to participate with your children as there are some fun ideas you can accomplish in just one day.

Looking for other activities? Check these out:

• Painted Egg Carton Bead Sorting

• Ice Cube Painting

• Toddler Friendly Painting with Aluminum Foil

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