Make some beautiful cardboard lacing hearts for a Valentine’s card or decoration. This is a great fine motor activity too and a good way to practise early sewing and lacing skills!

I love using cardboard in art and creative play projects with the kids because it is free, recycled, versatile and looks SO good with colour!

This little cardboard lacing hearts invitation is so easy to set up and I made it ready for my 3 year old and her playdate with just a few moments of prep time (this is always a BIG bonus in our crazy busy lives!)

How to make cardboard lacing hearts:

Simply cut large heart shapes from cardboard packaging (not too thick as that will be hard to cut and puncture for holes.)

Puncture holes at regularly spaced intervals around the outside edge of the hearts, not too close to the edge incase the cardboard rips through. I used a biro pen to do this.

Set out along with some lengths of thin ribbon and some bright marker pens. We used these fabulous chalk pens called Fun Chalks which have such vibrant colours and are easy enough for little hands to use. [These chalk pens pens are similar in the UK.]- affiliate link.

The girls loved decorating their hearts and talked together about the patterns and colours they were using. I particularly love the dots and layering effects!

Once they were sure they had finished decorating their art projects, I helped them to push the ribbon through the first hole and tied a knot in the end so that they wouldn’t pull it through. We started lacing at the top so that we would be finished at the top too, ready to tie a loop and hang them up.

It was tricky to get the ribbon through without a tool, so we ended up using a thin pen to poke the ribbon through each time, then they would pull the ribbon taut and find the right place to start the next lacing. It would be easy enough for older kids but is definitely  joint project with the littler ones.

When the lacing was complete I tied it for them into a loop and they were able to carry them around and also hang them up for display. Our little friend took hers home and hung it on the wall in her house!

I love how bright and cheerful these look, and think that they would make a lovely Valentine’s or Mother’s day card with a message scrawled on the back too!

If you liked this you will like our HEARTS ACTIVITIES!

And maybe our FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES too.

And here is a whole Pinterest board full of ideas for using cardboard in art and play!
Follow Anna @ The Imagination Tree’s board For the Love of Cardboard on Pinterest.