Be prepared for your student’s inevitable classroom Valentine’s Day celebration with a bevy of ideas for a treats box. Recycled materials are essential here, so set aside empty cereal, shoe, and tissue boxes this February in preparation for Valentine craft time. Source a few sizes of heart shaped templates, and you’re ready to attempt quite a few of the following ideas.
1.
Go zoological and create this sly fox box for Valentine’s Day with your little one. Layered hearts make the perfect shape for a fox face, then a fluffy tail completes the look. Have your kiddo personalize their creation with patterned fur or extra construction paper cutouts.
Fox Box from Charisa Darling
2.
Again, a recycled tissue box works perfectly for this monstrous Valentine’s craft. Cover in craft paper, widen the slot to make room for some ferocious fangs, and don’t forget to top with expressive, wobbly eyes. This creature will be absolutely ravenous to accept all the Valentines this year.
For a slightly more advanced crafter with a whole afternoon to dedicate to making, this unicorn DIY is a fun challenge. Two wrapping paper-covered shoe boxes form the unicorn’s head and body, then patterned craft paper or pastel felt works well for wings, a horn, and decoration. Add just a couple of hits of glitter glue, and this unicorn really comes to life.
Unicorn Box from Design Dazzle
4.
Puns are perfect for Valentine’s Day: they’re fun, lighthearted, and often perfectly cheesy. Chews this adorable treat box project (template included) to tap into your punny side this February. Kids will love adding brightly colored candies and accents to their retro gumball machines, and adults will love the simplicity of this craft (no messy supplies needed).
Gumball Machine Box from Over the Big Moon
5.
Master the art of illusion with this clever (and simple) treat bag idea. Trace a shark shape onto cardboard, then cut, paint, and paste him to a brown paper sack. Shark Bag from Molly Moo Crafts
Tip
The illusion is most masterful when the shark is slightly bigger than the bag itself!
6.
ntroduce your kids to a 1980s classic—the Rubik’s Cube—through this colorful DIY box idea. Foam squares add just enough dimension to a black cardboard cube to make this one textured and three dimensional. Cutesie eyes and heart-shaped cheeks make your Rubik’s Cube dressed for the holiday.
Rubik’s Cube Box from Peppermint Plum
7.
Capture the spirit of a hungry hippopotamus with this recycled materials Valentine’s box. Using empty tissue and cracker boxes, form a square hippo head, then decorate with paint or patterned paper. Construction paper front teeth add personality to your cute creature.
8.
Put your kids’ candy to alternate use this Valentine’s by repurposing those little message hearts as decor. Glue a grid of candy hearts onto the lid of a shoebox, and add ribbon or ric rac trim to polish it off. This craft is great for a last-minute assignment, it comes together quickly and with minimal supplies.
Candy Heart Box from Anastasia Pollack
9.
A fuzzy pink lama makes the perfect Valentine’s Day mascot. Trace an extra fluffy one onto construction paper, then cut and paste it onto an empty shoe box. A little fringed green grass (also construction paper) and a yarn leash totally finish the craft.
10.
Snip images and letters from magazines for a cool take on the Valentine’s treat box. Add monochromatic stickers, too. The more crowded this box gets, the better it looks. This one is absolutely perfect for an older grade schooler.
Collage Box from Me and My Big Ideas
11.
Capture your little one’s adventurousness with this canny cardboard design. Made from a recycled shipping box, this craft does require the use of a sharp craft knife for best results, so adults should handle things until the decoration stage. When it’s time to decorate, though, patterned papers and a glue stick work well.
Happy Camper Box from Susie’s Sitcom
12.
Break out the duct tape for this DIY, and cover an entire cardboard head and torso. Add a pair of wide eyes, tubular ears, and then give your robot slinky arms and legs. This is a great option for masculine-identifying students during an overtly pink holiday.
Robot Box from Mommy Lessons 101
13.
Grab an empty cereal box for this trendy project—its rectangular shape makes a great owl torso. Layered, ruffled paper (or fabric) mimics feathers, and extra large eyes take your owl from cute to adorable. Heart-shaped wings and feet help add a touch of festivity to your Valentine’s creature.
Owl Box from Crafty Endeavors
14.
For the technophile in your house, this emoji-inspired treat box is a sure win. Fringed yellow tissue paper adds texture and interest to an otherwise relatively plain Valentine box, then construction paper features finish the craft.
Tip
Upcycle a circular candy box for the base of this craft and save yourself the trouble of shaping cardboard into a sphere.
Heart Eyes Emoji Box from Brite and Bubbly
15.
A few simple cutouts bring a plain white box to life with this tutorial. While a professional cutting machine will help your panda bear come together more quickly, it’s not an absolute necessity—a pair of sharp scissors work just as well.
