Easily turn a pair of party sunglasses into a delightful children’s Valentine with this free printable. Valentine — you make our class bright!
I have a small request: if you ever meet my girls, please don’t tell them that stores sell pre-made valentines. They adore making their own, and every year we craft homemade cards together. It’s a little over the top, but the process is part of the fun.
This year’s idea came together while I was shopping online for another project. In the “customers also bought” section I noticed retro shutter sunglasses that looked perfect for little hands and dress-up play. The girls love sunglasses, so when I showed Camryn the pair I thought would work, she immediately said yes — even before I had a finished valentine idea.
The sunglasses cost about 42 cents per pair, which felt reasonable for a small classroom. I ordered two packs and still have a few extras left at home for play.
I didn’t want to attach anything permanently to the sunglasses or rely on stickers, so I created a printable tag that slides onto the arm of the shades. The design slides on and off easily so kids can wear the sunglasses right away.
After printing on white cardstock, Camryn wrote each friend’s name on a tag. She loved using a special pink pen we keep for crafts — it made the task feel important and festive.
Once the names were written, each tag was cut out. Depending on your child’s age, they can do this step themselves for extra involvement.
I used a craft knife to cut the small slits in each tag so the arm of the sunglasses could slide through. I kept things casual and used the back of a magazine as a cutting surface.
On the back of each tag Camryn signed her name. Watching her decorate was a highlight — some tags received hearts, others stars, and one friend even got two little people drawn on the back.
The best part was sliding the finished tags onto the sunglasses. Camryn thoughtfully selected which color shades matched each friend — apparently Colin’s favorite color is blue.
In under an hour — including design time — the valentines were finished and ready for the class party.
Both the project and Camryn’s new sunglasses received a big thumbs up. More than the finished valentines, I value the time we spent creating them together.