Adorable Love Bugs Valentine Craft

What did you do this weekend? It was a bit chilly in our neck of the woods, so the kids and I went a little bit buggy! Literally. We made a huge mess, had a blast, and created these adorable Love Bugs! I think this is going to become a Valentine craft tradition. Even the most avid insect hater has got to love these bugs. They take cute to a new level. (I might be just a tiny bit biased.)

Aren't they charming? I can't decide which is my favorite. The kids made a ton, so now we have a love bug infestation! I wonder what kind of exterminator you call for that.

Ready to make some cuties of your own? Let's get started!

Love Bugs Valentine Craft

RELATED: Big-Eyed Monster Valentine Boxes, Valentine Heart Paper Chains Craft

Materials:

• Pom poms of various sizes and shapes (The fuzzy pom-poms are quite cute, but they are more difficult to work with. They do work. They just take a lot more dry time. If your kids are very young or not very patient, stick to the plain pom poms.)
• Googly eyes (Tiny black pom poms also make cute eyes for tiny bugs.)
• Craft glue (I like Elmers Craft Bond)
• Foam heart shapes
• Pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• Construction Paper

Instructions:

Each bug will be different, but here's the basic idea:

The pom poms are used as the body of the bugs. The foam hearts can be used as wings or as feet. Tiny pom poms can also be used as feet, depending on the look you want and on the size of the bug. Googly eyes or tiny pom poms can be used as eyes. Pipe cleaners make good legs for spiders. For a different wing style, use construction paper hearts, and fold them in half (see the bumble bee and the butterfly).

To create the bugs, secure all bug parts together with craft glue. (You can try school glue, but we found that it didn't dry quickly enough for this project. The craft glue worked better.) As you add each new piece, hold the pieces together for a few minutes before moving on.

To create the spider, cut 2 pipe cleaners in half. Bend each piece into an "M" shape. Poke each end through a heart shape to make feet. Twist the "M's" together in the middle, and then adjust so that all of the feet are facing the right direction. Glue a large pom pom to the center of the legs, and then add the eyes. (Adorable!)

My kids were obsessed with making tiny bugs. I think they each made about ten flies (not pictured). They simply glued a tiny pom pom to a tiny heart and called it finished. I love the creativity of children! I'm in love with this tiny ladybug and dragonfly.

I'm not quite sure what to call the yellow bug. My kids call him a big foot bug. I'm thinking maybe he's a flea. What do you think? Which bug is your favorite? I'd love to hear what your kids come up with to add to what we've created. Have fun!

A special thank you to Elmers for sponsoring this post. All opinions and designs are my own. Happy crafting!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll stick around and check out some of my other ideas for Valentine's Day. You can check out the posts below by clicking on the images.