When I was a little girl, I expressed my love by stretching out my arms as w-i-d-e as possible and saying, “I love you THIS much!”  And when you have monkey arms – you know, the ones that are significantly longer than your actual height – stretching your arms wide means you love someone pretty much to infinity. 

So, I’m sharing my all-time FAVORITE kids Valentine’s Day craft.  I loved making these with my kids when they were young, and I recently made them with my great niece and nephew for them to give to their mom and dad for Valentine’s. 

As I kid I did not reserve this phrase for one day a year, which means this isn’t just a Valentine’s Day project.  Sometimes people need to know they’re loved the other 364 days {wink, wink}, so feel free to use this project to express love any day of the year. 

Make Paper Hands

Trace each hand on construction paper, and include 2 inches of the wrist instead of just tracing the bottom of the palm.  Cut out both hands.  When working with a toddler, it is helpful to gently hold down each finger while tracing.

Measure Adding Machine Paper

Have your child stretch his or her arms out wide and measure the length from wrist to wrist.  This is easiest when using a yard stick or measuring tape.  Then use the measurement to cut the correct length of adding machine paper.  If you’re feeling brave, you can skip the measuring tape and just hold the paper from wrist to wrist.

The Writing Project

Here’s the fun part – write the phrase “I Love You This Much” along the white adding machine paper.  With really little ones, I’ve written the entire phrase on the paper for them.  Depending on the age, and level of writing ability, there are many ways to encourage letter writing and engagement.  Here are just a few:

• Use letter stencils and hold them in place while your toddler colors in each letter (make sure to talk about each letter as you are coloring together).
• Lightly write the phrase in pencil and have your toddler trace over the pencil with fun markers!
• Have your child write the first letter of each word and then you write the rest of the letters.
• Write the words on sticky notes and place them just above the paper to model correct spelling and spacing.  Sometimes it’s really okay just to copy!
• For beginning readers and writer’s help them sound out the words, or let them use invented spelling to make it completely on their own.
• Add hearts or decorations as desired!

The key here is you just want it to be FUN!  Seriously.  You want your child to associate FUN with writing letters and words on a paper, so please don’t stress about perfection!  Also, sometimes markers are like the forbidden fruit for kids, so I generally encourage markers for projects like this … and that ups the “fun factor”.

Attach the Hands to the Arm-length Paper

Turn the “I Love You This Much” paper so the phrase is upside-down.  Glue the 2” section of the “wrist” so the adding machine paper aligns with the bottom of the palm.  Glue the left hand to the left end of the adding machine paper with the palm up and the thumb pointing in the same direction as the top of the letters.  Glue the right hand to the right end of the paper.  You are gluing the hands so it looks like the child’s arms are stretched wide.

When finished, you will have true-to-size keepsake to remember for years to come! 

Supplies:
pencil

scissors

red, pink, or purple construction paper

2 ¼” adding machine/calculator paper roll

glue stick or rubber cement

markers

letter stencils (optional)

mailing tube (optional)

MAILING TIP:  I mailed these across the country to Grandma in a cylinder mailing tube so that I didn’t have to fold them.