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Valentine's Day isn't just about picking out swoon-worthy gifts for your significant other (and Galentine!), planning a great date night, or watching a beloved rom-com. One of the best parts of Cupid's holiday is making sure your kids feel the love, too. For the littlest set, February 14 is all about the fun that usually happens at school—complete with festive parties, adorable decorations, boxes of chocolate, cute nail art, and, of course, slipping homemade cards in all of their classmates' Valentine's Day boxes.
While there are plenty of Valentine's Day boxes available to buy—and often in the forms of things like unicorns and mermaids, LEGOS and alligators—but, if you have the time, we recommend crafting your own creative cardholder for all that sweet snail mail from school. Not only does creating and decorating a DIY Valentine's Day box make for fun family activity, but it'll also serve as a keepsake they'll cherish long after holiday. Not to mention that all you need to make a Valentine's Day box is a shoebox (cereal or tissue boxes will work, too), colorful construction paper or wrapping paper, and some decorations.
Got your glue gun ready? Ahead, we've gathered super-creative ideas and the most delightful Valentine's Day box designs—including a tasty taco, a purr-fect cat, and a charming hot air balloon—all of which kindergarteners, tykes, and even tweens, are guaranteed to love. (Oh, and there are even a few store-bought options if a DIY project just isn't in the, well, cards this year.)
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This all-in-one kit by Hallmark makes Valentine's Day a breeze: it contains 32 cards plus a sweetly decorated box to collect your cards.
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ORIENTAL CHERRY Valentine Boxes for Kids - Unicorn
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ORIENTAL CHERRY Valentine Boxes for Kids - Unicorn
If you want all the fun of a unicorn-inspired box without the DIY component, consider shopping this adorable box. It comes with matching cards, too.
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4E's Novelty Valentines Mailbox Craft Kit
The perfect purchase for a dog lover: this kit comes with cardboard box base and self-adhesive foam pieces for easy assembly.
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Hallmark Emoticons Box, Stickers, and Cards
This is how emoji obsessives embrace Valentine's Day. This is an all-in-one kit with stickers, cards, and a cute box to collect Valentines.
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Create a Llama Box
Recreate this fun box with just a few different shades of card stock and scissors.
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Repurpose a Shoe Box For This Minnie Mouse Design
Just add a polka-dot bow and ears made out of glittered paper to the top of your red shoe box.
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For the Foodie, Make this Taco-Inspired Box
Crinkled tissue paper lends texture that makes this happy taco look a lot like the real thing, but with a handy opening on top to house your Valentines.
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Turn Felt Fabric Sheets Into a Cactus Box
Though this adorable cactus was made with the help of a Cricut, you can get a similar look with colorful felt fabric sheets, some sharp scissors, and a little bit of precision.
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Transform an Egg Crate Into an Alligator
An empty egg crate painted green gives this DIY alligator card box a surprisingly realistic texture.
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Build a Princess Castle For Valentine's Day
Looking for a Valentine's Day box that's fit for a princess? Not only is this colorful castle made entirely from materials you probably have lying around the house (think: cardboard canisters and boxes, toilet paper rolls, and paint), but, it can also be used as a magical toy home after Valentine's Day
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Collect Cards in a Hot Air Balloon Box
Go above and beyond with this larger-than-life Valentine's Day box. And don't feel beholden to pink—the sky's the limit when it comes to color scheme.
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Create a Personalized Rocketship
Houston, we have a winner! Any aspiring astronaut or space enthusiast will have a blast building and decorating a colorful rocketship that’s ready to travel to infinity and beyond. (Pro tip: If you don’t have foam shapes and letters, you can also use other craft supplies you may already have around the house, like pom-poms, buttons, rhinestones, sequins, and stickers.)
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All Aboard This Valentine's Day Train
Whether your little one is still talking about the Polar Express trip you took last year or loves anything and everything related to Thomas the Tank Engine, you do not want to miss this train. The one shown here—decorated with a variety of red and pink hearts—celebrates all things love, but you can also get creative with your own theme.
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Floral Mailbox
Turn a basic paper mache mailbox into something extra special—with the help of a little flower power. This colorful design features a mix of peonies and roses, but you can also customize it to include your little one's favorite flowers.
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LEGO
If your kiddo has an endless supply of LEGOs, a Valentine's Day box is a great way to get them out from underfoot and put to good use.
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Sloth
You don't have to worry about leaving your little one hanging this Valentine’s Day—thanks to this delightful sloth. The cute and colorful creature was made with the help of a Cricut, but there is also a PDF of the pattern pieces, which you can cut and color by hand.
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Sheet Music
Does your kiddo know all the words to “My Girl” by The Temptations? Or do they demand that you play Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” on repeat? We hear you—and that’s exactly why we’re recommending this DIY Valentine’s Box, which can be made using sheet music from your little one’s favorite love song and a shoebox.
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Ice Cream Cone
Here's something sweet for your sweet someone: This ice cream cone—which is made from just a few supplies—can be adjusted to look just like your little one's go-to ice cream order, including their favorite flavor (use brown paint for chocolate, beige paint for vanilla, and light green paint for mint) and toppings (think: pink paint for strawberry sauce, dark wooden beads for peanuts, brown and pom-poms for chocolate chips).
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Heart
Give a heart-shaped box a little extra pizzazz with an assortment of colorful pink and red pom-poms.
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Pikachu
All you need to make one of the most popular (and cutest) characters ever created is a wide shipping tube (an empty coffee can will work, too), some paint, and some pieces of yellow cardstock.
