It’s February, which means we’re starting to think about all things Valentine’s Day, especially with regards to crafts. Cookie cutters are a great medium for toddlers because your child will delight in creating a recognizable shape on paper, even before he or she is able to draw shapes by hand.

I set out a tray for Veronika with two shades of pink paint and heart cookie cutters in various sizes.

Veronika loved seeing all the hearts! She quickly had a knack for dipping a heart in the paint, transferring to the paper, and then turning back to dip again. “I made a heart!” she said proudly.

Because we happen to have several heart cutters, this was also a great moment to talk about size. I had her point out to me which was the big heart, which was the small, and – the tricky one! – the medium.

I love that cookie cutter crafts like this result in fool-proof art even for toddlers, meaning you wind up with great art to send to relatives or friends. Folded in half, the resulting heart paintings would make lovely Valentine’s Day cards.