This post may contain affiliate links. You may feel free to use them or not use them. It costs you no extra, but I make a small commission. (Please see my/our full disclosure for further information.)
Valentine’s day can be a wonderful time to integrate some crafts into your therapy sessions with students with autism. Crafts make a great fun addition that can get your kids pumped and give them the chance to practice their cutting, folding, and writing.
Students on the autism spectrum miss out on a large part of Valentine’s Day. They aren’t allowed to have candy, and usually, everyone is so focused on continuing their therapy they can forget to take advantage of the holiday.
I, for one, love to integrate all holidays into my sessions, including Valentine’s Day. It can really increase a student’s motivation.
In this post, we’re going to cover some simple crafts you can include for your students on the autism spectrum.
Make sure to join my email list to get access to my free resource library and to never miss a post!
Cards
This Valentine’s Day Craft is pretty obvious, but someone has to say it. You can make cards! I grew up cutting out paper hearts, so I love it a lot.
For this one, you’ll need
- Red, pink, and white construction paper
- Pens
- Scissors (adaptive if applicable)
- Anything you want to decorate with (optional)
Fold the paper in half like a book and draw half a heart on one side. If your kiddos lack dexterity you can do the drawing. Have them cut along the drawn line, and unfold!
Bam you have a paper heart! Your students can write messages to their loved ones on one side and draw and decorate on the other.
Together you can make a list of who to give Valentines to and have them make a certain number each day leading up to Valentine’s day. That way the fun gets spread out.
Collage
This one is super sweet and can be very meaningful for your kiddos. You can make a collage with them of all the people they love.
For this one, you’ll need
- Poster Board
- Glue Sticks
- Scissors (adaptive)
- Photos of loved ones
Make a list with your kiddos of all the people they love, and collect photos of the people they name, if possible.
If you can’t get a lot of photos of people, you can also move on to things they love and find photos online or in magazines.
Cut out the pictures in fun shapes and glue them down to the poster board in a visually pleasing way.
You can also add glitter or fun quotes or anything else you’d like to decorate your collage with.
Make sure to hang up their wonderful artwork where people can see it.
I love this one because it is a great chance to talk to your kids about what love is and draw their attention to all the wonderful things in their life to be grateful for.
Flowers
This is another Valentine’s Day craft your kiddos can give away. It’s great for your kids, who haven’t mastered writing yet, but still want to have something to show their love on this special holiday.
For this one, you’ll need
- Pipecleaners (green)
- Tissue Paper in various colors
- Scissors (adaptive if needed)
Fold over one end of the pipe cleaner so it forms a small loop. Cut the tissue paper into circles. Mark the center with a pencil. Push the end of the pipe cleaner through the middle and gently push it up to the loop.
Continue adding 5 or so circles of tissue paper. Pull them gentle so all the edges come up over the loop and make a fist to crinkle the paper.
Make a flower for each person your child would like to show love for this Valentine’s Day.
Heart Eye Masks
These can be super fun to do some pretend play with after, which can be a very rewarding kind of play!
You’ll need
- Paperplates
- Popcicle sticks
- Pencil
- Markers
- Glue
- Scissors (adaptive)
Put the paper plate face down on the table and draw a face with heart eyes on it. Cut out a square at the bottom for a mouth.
Color in the face with the markers, and once you’re done, glue the tip of a popsicle stick to the inside of the mask by the mouth.
Allow to dry.
Final Thoughts
When you’re a one-on-one service provider, your sessions can start to feel stale, because we have to work on the same skills over and over again.
Adding in special crafts for holidays can be a fun way to work on fine motor skills and imagination with your students.
Your students with autism will thank you for taking the time to plan fun Valentine’s Day crafts for them. There is nothing special ed teachers love more than seeing happy and engaged kids!
Make sure to plan ahead and keep everything low stress. If you’re calm, they’re calm, and everyone can have a good time.
Make sure to join my email list to stay up to date on all my posts, and get access to my free resource library! Also, check out this post on Twenty Fun Things to Do with Autism in the Summer.