Are you looking for a fun Valentine’s Day activity to do with kids? Now that I’ve discovered how quick and easy it is to make a tactile sensory board – I decided to make a Valentine’s Day Sensory Board for my boys. The Christmas Sensory Board was such a big hit that this could quite possibly become a seasonal activity in our home. 
ITEMS NEEDED
I picked up an assortment of Valentine’s Day decor from our Dollar Tree. I looked for materials that would have different textures. I ended up spending $6 which included the white foam board.
- 4 strands heart beads (necklaces)
- 1 package of glitter foam hearts
- 1 roll of decorative duct tape
- one bundle of red Valentine’s flowers (this bundle had red roses and two glittery foam hearts)
- plastic dimensional heart stickers
- foam board
- hot glue gun/glue sticks
TO MAKE
I actually pulled the silk roses, silk leaves, and the foam glitter hearts off the stems from the bundle of flowers. Then I arranged the items on the board. I tied the beads together in a knot so I would have a chunky place to glob the hot glue (on the knot).
I used A LOT of hot glue to really be sure I had the Valentine’s Day decor secured or else little hands would tear it to pieces. In the photos below, you can see the mounds of dried hot glue.
And the final touch was using the heart duct tape as a border around the entire foam board.
Voilà! Valentine’s Day Sensory Board!
TIME FOR FUN
The boys were very excited to touch, touch, touch everything on their Valentine’s Day Sensory Board! Their favorite was touching the beads and flowers.
This simple activity surprisingly provides entertainment and stimulation. They really enjoyed exploring the items and we even played games and practiced language development as we also did with the Christmas Sensory Board!
The boys explored the Valentine’s Day Sensory Board while it was propped up and they also played with it flat on the ground. Both ways are fun but my 14-month old tends to walk on it when we lay it down.
Surprisingly, it’s not torn apart and my boys definitely played rough. Of course, it should be used under adult supervision but my kiddos yanked and shook and everything is still in place! Now, I will say if you’re not a fan of glitter then avoid purchasing glittery decor because there were definitely little sparkles being rubbed off.
I’m going to buy these things and have my older girls put it together for me, so they can be involved as well!! I loved the Christmas board but didn’t see it until later on, this one i have time to get done!
That’s an awesome idea to get them involved! It really is simple and totally flexible – I hope they enjoy it!
This is so cute! I bet your kids thought you rocked!
Thanks Lauren! It helps being able to say “YES” to something that they can touch – lol! They are always after everything in the house that they shouldn’t have – this helps to have a distraction!
This is awesome! I really love how creative you got. My middle son would love this! Thanks for the idea!! I’m not a good diyer, but this looks easy enough!
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Yay! Thank you, Dominique! I’ll tell you unless it’s easy then I totally pass – but this is easy and quick to put together! I just slide it behind our tv and pull it out sometimes – great distraction and entertainment!
What an easy fun idea!!! Need to try this with my boys!
Thank you, Rebecka!
Such a cute idea, and great activity for kids. My twins would love it. Plus, it makes a nice little Valentine’s decoration.
Thanks, Shann – if you try it, I’d love to know how it turned out!
This is adorable! I love the idea of a sensory board. I’d be interested to see how it would stand up to my two kids lol.
Thank you, Danielle! It’s definitely surprising because both my boys tend to be a bit rough but it has held up so far. And when they get a little too crazy with it – we just put it away for another time! :)
Danielle, thanks for sharing such a creative idea for Valentine’s Day. Have the little pieces been a problem? I can picture them going into my son’s mouth pretty quick.
That’s honestly one beauty of this project – completely customizable based on your child’s development and what you purchase to hot glue to the board! :) This should be a supervised activity and my little one hasn’t been able to put any pieces in his mouth since I really used a ton of hot glue but I know how it is with little ones – we definitely have to always stay watchful!
What a neat idea! I might make one for my little one!
Awwww, great! I hope they like it! :)
You and your boys inspire me to make sensory boards now
What a sweet idea! It is cute decoration for the holiday and allows some sensory play. Good job momma!
Such a great idea! I really ought to do more sensory play for my youngest!
Thanks Rebecca! Sensory play always goes over well with my boys and I enjoy most of the activities too! :)