Turn Toddler Art into Thank You Cards!

Hope you had a meaningful Mother’s Day, whatever that means to you!

This year we sent cards to Amelia’s grandmothers and great-grandmother, and since we also had Grandpop’s birthday to celebrate, we needed an idea that could work for any occasion.

It’s super easy to turn toddler art into cards… for Mother’s Day, birthdays, thank you notes, or anything else! I found this on Pinterest (of course!) and there are quite a few variations of this idea.

Supplies

blank note cards
paint and brushes (or other art supplies)
bowl of water
scissors (or shape punch)

I’m sure you can get the gist from the photo but here’s a rundown:

Let your toddler paint the inside of the notecard.

I like to do painting projects in the high chair so Amelia is contained – plus, it’s easy to wipe down! I used washable acrylic paint and the little tray is actually an empty Lunchables container.

We always struggle to end an art project without a major tantrum, but a nanny friend gave me this tip: if you give an end point like “When the paint is gone, it’s time to clean up,” it helps to transition out of the activity. Then you also make cleaning up into another activity, and usually cleaning the brushes (and the baby) in the sink is enough of a distraction to move on successfully.

Once the paint is dry, cut out a heart on the front of the card where the artwork will show through. You can cut out any shape (or use a hole punch!) but a heart is pretty easy – I bent the area so I could cut out just half of the heart so it would be symmetrical.

Ta da!