Colorful + Exciting 3D Valentine Art Inspired By Fun Pop Up Book

I’ll be honest, friends… We have a lot of seasonal books in our collection. Often, when a holiday rolls around and I hit the bookstore, I feel like I’m not finding much I need to pick up. I was pleasantly surprised on a trip to check out Valentine’s Day books recently. I came across a gorgeous, colorful, and exciting book themed around love. (And bonus, it’s bright pink!) After thumbing through it, inspiration for a really fun art project for my boys came to mind quickly. Read on to learn more about this special book, and check out the 3D valentine art it inspired!

Disclosure: This post is not sponsored in any way.

3D STORY TIME AND VALENTINE ART

Reading (And Loving) This Pop-Up Book

David A. Carter created this beautiful book, I Love You. It’s a short, quick book in terms of text. Each spread uses a metaphor to describe your loved one beautifully. The true magic of I Love You lies in the imagery… Stunning, modern, and vibrant cut paper pop-ups that add excitement and movement to each page. There’s a mix of simplicity and wonder in the illustration style- the pop-ups truly draw readers in. The simplicity makes it feel approachable for kids to tackle a similar creation. Each page features a heart in some way, adding a seek-and-find element to the book that young readers love.

Creating Fun 3D Valentine Art

My youngest especially had fun working on this 3D valentine art project with his Nana. Set up is simple. The supplies can be as varied or minimal as you’d like to provide. Kids get some great fine motor practice while being creative, making it a perfect choice for young fingers!

Supplies: 

• Styrofoam blocks.
• Chenille stems.
  • We grabbed an assortment of Valentine’s Day inspired colors and textures. But drawing from the images in I Love You, any color scheme works well.
• Other ‘poke-able’ items.
  • Craft/floral picks, toothpicks, artificial flowers, straws, etc. are all great options.
• Hearts.
  • We used some ready-made craft foam hearts, but paper, felt, bead, or sticker hearts would also work well.
• Glue or tape, if your hearts are not already equipped with adhesive.
• Scissors.

Instructions:

1. First, grab a piece of styrofoam.
2. Encourage kids to create their own 3D valentine art similar to what they saw in I Love You, by sticking the crafty items into the foam.
   1. Kids will love seeing how to twist chenille stems together, or bend them to interact in different ways. Encourage them to use some shorter and some longer crafty items and mix things up in a way they like. Maybe a chenille stem twisted into a spring bounces a fun way? It’s about hands on creative experimentation. You’ll love seeing all the problem solving and trial + error that goes into these creations!
      
3. Add the hearts for some extra love.
   
   
4. Share your 3D valentine art (and maybe a pop-up book or two) with someone special this Valentine’s Day!
   
   

We don’t have a lot of pop-up books in our home library. Do your kids have favorites? Let me know in the comments which stories I need to check out next!