These coffee filter hearts are the perfect Valentine’s Day craft for kids of all ages.

Like many of our craft projects, they are easy to make and use common craft supplies. Plus, it takes less than 20 minutes (not including drying time) to transform the coffee filters into colorful hearts.

We also have a printable heart template below that you can use to keep all of your hearts the same size and shape.

Get creative and see how many different things you can make and decorate with these hearts! (A great opportunity for counting practice for the littles!)

Four tie dyed coffee filter hearts at top of image and three placed in a window on bottom part of image. Between pictures a pink box with white and black text reads Coffee Filter Hearts Valentine Craft for Kids.

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Valentine’s Day Coffee Filter Heart Craft Learning Benefits

This is a great Valentine’s Day project to make at home with family or at school with friends as a simple art center activity.

Working on these will help preschoolers and kindergartners practice fine motor skills as they color and spray the coffee filters with water.

Fine motor skills are helpful across the curriculum and outside the classroom too. Gripping scissors strengthens small hands, leading to a smoother transition to writing, and good penmanship, while helping now with things like controlling a crayon or paintbrush.

Choosing and mixing colors ties in well with their creative sides and is a great introduction to seeing (and making!) finer art later on. Their only limit is their imagination here!

Older kids can complete this project with little to no assistance, but will still enjoy the process and final result. All children can engage in folding, tracing the template, and cutting with scissors, great practice for other activities too.

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Fun Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids

Explore the enchanting world of coffee filter crafts for kids, where imagination and creativity collide! From butterfly wings to blooming flowers, these DIY projects unleash a child’s ingenuity.

With simple supplies, kids can turn plain filters into vibrant art, fostering wonder and accomplishment. These projects are a joy to make and an ideal way to nurture artistic expression at an early age.

Cute Coffee Filter Crafts eBook

Coffee Filter Heart Craft Supplies:

Round White Coffee Filters
Washable Markers
Scissors
Water Spray Bottle (for color blending)
Craft Mat
Heart Craft Template PDF (available by filling out the form at the bottom of this post)

Shop some of my favorite craft supplies on Amazon!

How to Make Coffee Filter Hearts:

Print out the heart template. Cut out the heart patterns to trace on the coffee filters. Or, work on shape recognition by having them freehand their own.

Please note: The template includes a couple of different sizes. The smaller size was used for the hearts in these photos.

Start by flattening out round coffee filters.

You can trace and cut the coffee filters into heart shapes before starting or after they’ve been tie-dyed with markers.

Draw on them with washable markers in a variety of patterns or simply lightly color the entire area.

One round coffee filter colored with purple and pink markers laying next to another colored with red and pink markers.

Children may use whichever colors they want. Some pretty combinations include reds, pinks, and purples, but they do not have to be limited to traditional Valentine’s Day colors.

Place the colored coffee filter on a paper plate, sheet of parchment paper, craft mat, or large zipper baggie and spray with water.

Have fun watching the magic of the colors move and blend! Then, set them aside to dry.

White girl's hand squirting water with a small spray bottle onto coffee filters colored with purple, red, and pink markers.

The drying time will vary depending on how much water is sprayed on the coffee filter during the blending stage.

Once your coffee filters are dry, it’s time to cut out the hearts if they were not pre-cut before coloring. Two hearts, one activity!

Red and pink dyed coffee filter with heart shape cut out of the center laying next to the heart cut out.

Now your coffee filter hearts are ready to be used how you’d like!

Tips for Making Hearts With Coffee Filters

Drying time depends on how much water is sprayed on the coffee filter during the blending stage.

If you don’t have a paper plate, parchment paper, or craft mat, a zippered bag can also be used as a work surface. Placing the filter paper on one of these surfaces helps so the color doesn’t run out onto your table!

You can also freehand any hearts by folding the dried coffee filter in half and tracing half a heart (lining up the middle of the heart with the folded end) and unfolding. This is a great way to work on symmetry!

Three pink and red coffee filter hearts in a window with snow outside behind them.

Valentines Extension Activities for Kids

Younger kids have the freedom to use any colors they’d like, but this color-blending activity is a great chance to talk with older kids about primary and secondary colors. This activity is an excellent opportunity for them to come up with new or unexpected color combinations, in addition to more traditional Valentine’s ones.

Symmetry, a math concept tie-in, can be introduced or reinforced with this activity. Ask them to tell you if each side of their heart matches and why or why not. While any pattern they make is great, challenge older kids to make a more symmetrical version and discuss why it works. If it doesn’t, try again!

Littler kids can recount, as best they can, the steps for making these coffee filter hearts and write them down or have them transcribed. Older kids can be asked what they thought worked and didn’t (if anything) and rewrite the instructions, or come up with additional ways to use these cute hearts.

Pink and purple colored coffee filter hearts strung up as garland using twine on a brick mantel.

Ways to Use Tie Dyed Coffee Filter Hearts

You can create a gorgeous garland to hang on the wall, mantel, or across the window by stringing them along a length of twine or string with tape.

Consider creating a sewing center as part of this activity for older kids to add in an additional fine motor skills activity and have them make a more sophisticated version of this craft.

Homemade valentine card made with pink card stock and two different sized coffee filter hearts glued to the front.

You can also display the completed coffee filter hearts in your window, creating a delightful suncatcher decoration.

Additionally, kids can glue them onto construction paper to create a charming and effortless DIY homemade Valentine. Make these along with our stained glass heart cookies for a super special day of crafting.

Valentine Books for Kids

There’s nothing like a good book to set up an activity or to wind down after. Words and art always pair well and help reinforce concepts, introduce new ideas, and foster creativity. Older kids enjoy a good story too! You can extend the activity by having them write their own Valentine-inspired story.

Here are four of our favorite Valentine’s Day books:

ABCs of Love (Books of Kindness)The Invisible String (The Invisible String, 1)There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!Love from the Crayons

ABC’s of Love by Patricia Hegarty

Embark on a heartwarming journey with “ABC’s of Love” by Patricia Hegarty, a bedtime favorite for little ones. Each page explores love through the alphabet, offering charming illustrations and gentle rhymes. From ‘A’ for ‘Always’ to ‘Z’ for ‘Zzzz’s in bed,’ this book wraps young readers in the comfort of love’s alphabet. Perfect for snuggles and story time – add a sprinkle of love to your child’s reading nook!

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

Dive into the heart-tugging pages of “The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst, a tale that beautifully illustrates the invisible bonds that connect us all. Whether they’re just in the next room or miles away, this story reassures kids that love doesn’t depend on proximity. Share this comforting bedtime read to remind your little ones that no matter where they go, they’re always tethered to the hearts of those who cherish them.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro

Can you believe the zany antics in “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose” by Lucille Colandro? This whimsical story takes kids on a hilarious adventure as the old lady swallows some of the most unexpected items to create a romantic surprise! Get ready for giggles and gasps with this imaginative and quirky Valentine’s Day tale that’s sure to become a favorite in your family’s story time collection.

Love from The Crayons by Drew Daywalt

Discover the vibrant and heartwarming journey of “Love from The Crayons” by Drew Daywalt, where emotions are as colorful as crayons in a box! This charming book teaches little ones about the different shades of love, from the cheerful yellow of friendship to the supportive green of kindness. Perfect for story time or a thoughtful Valentine’s gift, it’s a delightful read that will leave you and your kids grinning from ear to ear!

Four completed coffee filter hearts laying on an off white craft mat. One heart is blue and pink tie dyed and the other three are various shades of red and pink.

More Valentine Crafts for Kids

Are you searching for additional Valentine craft inspiration? Look no further! Here are some delightful ideas for kids to create at home or school. With these suggestions, you can effortlessly organize a week of themed art center activities. Get ready for a week filled with creativity and fun!

We hope you enjoy making these festive and educational coffee filter hearts for Valentine’s Day or any time you want to share a little love. Kids of all ages and stages can participate, and extending or expanding the craft just makes for more fun!

GET THE FREE PRINTABLE HEART CRAFT TEMPLATE

Coffee Filter Hearts Craft

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $5 or less

Make these pretty coffee filter hearts for a quick and easy Valentine's Day craft for kids.

Materials

Coffee Filters
Washable Markers
Heart Craft Template

Tools

Water Spray Bottle
Scissors

Instructions

Print the heart template and cut out the heart patterns to trace on the coffee filters. Please note that the template includes different sizes, and the smaller size was used for the hearts in the photos.
You can trace and cut the coffee filters into heart shapes before or after tie-dyeing them with markers.
Start by flattening out round coffee filters, then use washable markers to draw patterns or lightly color the entire area.
Children can use any colors they want, including pretty combinations like reds, pinks, and purples. They are not limited to traditional Valentine's Day colors.
Place the colored coffee filter on a craft mat or parchment paper before spraying it with water.
Enjoy watching the colors blend and move! Then set the coffee filter aside to dry.
Once the coffee filters are dry, it's time to cut out the hearts if they weren't pre-cut before coloring.
Now your coffee filter hearts are ready to become decorations or used to create a homemade card!

Notes

These may require additional drying time depending on how much water is used.

If you don’t have a craft mat, you can use a zip top plastic bag or even a paper plate to protect your work surface.

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A. Hager

A. Hager is a lover of books and all things crafty. She enjoys puzzles, board games and puppy snuggling. She is constantly adapting new recipes so her two children with food allergies are able to experience a variety of delicious and fun foods.