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.
ljbellows says
January 11, 2016 at 8:57 AMI’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!
Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 11:19 AMThat’s an awesome idea to get them involved! It really is simple and totally flexible – I hope they enjoy it!
Lauren (bpatty.com) says
January 11, 2016 at 10:41 AMThis is so cute! I bet your kids thought you rocked!
Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 11:20 AMThanks 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!
Dominique says
January 11, 2016 at 11:10 AMThis 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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Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 11:22 AMYay! 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!
Rebecka says
January 11, 2016 at 12:43 PMWhat an easy fun idea!!! Need to try this with my boys!
Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 8:51 PMThank you, Rebecka!
Shann Eva says
January 11, 2016 at 12:43 PMSuch a cute idea, and great activity for kids. My twins would love it. Plus, it makes a nice little Valentine’s decoration.
Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 8:52 PMThanks, Shann – if you try it, I’d love to know how it turned out!
Danielle James says
January 11, 2016 at 2:12 PMThis 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.
Love Peace Beauty says
January 11, 2016 at 8:54 PMThank 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! :)
revolutionofwords says
January 15, 2016 at 5:09 PMDanielle, 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.
Love Peace Beauty says
January 15, 2016 at 10:21 PMThat’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!
millennialmommysite says
February 9, 2016 at 10:04 PMWhat a neat idea! I might make one for my little one!
Love Peace Beauty says
February 9, 2016 at 10:06 PMAwwww, great! I hope they like it! :)
Christina says
February 9, 2016 at 10:49 PMYou and your boys inspire me to make sensory boards now
Jennifer DeFrates/Heaven Not Harvard says
February 10, 2016 at 11:30 AMWhat a sweet idea! It is cute decoration for the holiday and allows some sensory play. Good job momma!
Rebecca says
February 10, 2016 at 9:10 PMSuch a great idea! I really ought to do more sensory play for my youngest!
Love Peace Beauty says
February 12, 2016 at 9:48 PMThanks Rebecca! Sensory play always goes over well with my boys and I enjoy most of the activities too! :)