Sure you can find heart templates on the web, cut them out and address them to Valentines with your kids. Or you could draw free-hand hearts and cut those out. And then there is the tried and true: fold a paper in half and cut half a heart along the crease method for a sure-fire Valentine activity.

You could do any of those…but you could also think outside the Valentine’s Day box and get a little crafty with your kids. Check out these 5 creative DIY Valentines to create with your kids.

1. Message in a bottle: Re-purpose a plastic water bottle to be your Valentine. Clean bottle. Place cut red, white and pink heart cut-outs and a secret Valentine message inside. You can also decorate the outside of the bottle with Valentine stickers. Original and eco-friendly!

2. Coffee filter Valentines: Place a few drops of red food colouring in a small bowl (Remember: food colouring stains so protect your work surface and yourself!) and add in 2 tbsps of water. Dip regular white coffee filters in the food colouring mixture (it will soak up the colour). Allow the coffee filters to dry (about 2 hours). Cut out heart shapes and address as you like.

3. Hole punch sewn heart: Great pre-school Valentine’s activity! Cut out a large heart and punch holes around the edges (about 5 cm in and every 5-10 cm apart). Cut a large piece of wool (red is the obvious Valentine colour) and have your child “sew” through the holes. They can write TO: and FROM: in the inside of the Valentine.

4. Photo Valentines: Use your home printer and print out various size pictures of family members. Have children free-hand cut heart shapes of the faces within the pictures (you could draw heart shape guides on the pictures instead of free-hand cutting). Punch a hole at a top corner of the heart and thread a ribbon through it. Easy Valentine hanging decoration.

5. Wax paper Valentines: Cut two pieces of regular wax paper. Have kids tear up small pieces of red, pink, white and purple tissue paper. Arrange tissue paper on one piece of wax paper. Place 2nd piece of wax paper on top. Place a tea towel on top of wax paper. Using a warm iron (this is a parent job!) gently iron tea towel (whereby the wax paper will soften and stick to the tissue paper and 1st piece of wax paper). Allow to cool (will only take seconds). Use scissors and cut heart shapes out of wax paper. These Valentines will keep for years.

Caroline Fernandez shares family friendly activities and tips on her site Parent Club (Twitter: @ParentClub)