Heart Tessellation Art Project for Kids (Valentine Math Activity)

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Have you ever tried a tessellation project? My daughter and I created this colorful heart tessellation, and it turned into a fun Valentine activity that blends math, patterns, and creativity.

This is a great way to explore geometry in a hands-on, visual way while making something beautiful for Valentine’s Day.

What Is a Tessellation?

A tessellation is a repeating pattern of shapes that fit together with no gaps and no overlaps. Tessellations have been used for centuries in tiles, mosaics, and artwork around the world.

They can be made with:

• One repeating shape (like squares or triangles)

• Or multiple shapes that fit together in a pattern

In this project, we used hearts on graph paper to create our own Valentine-themed tessellation.

Supplies Needed

• Graph paper

• Pencil

• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons

How to Make a Heart Tessellation

1. Sketch Your Heart Shape

Start by lightly drawing a heart shape on the graph paper. Ours measured about 5 squares wide, but you can experiment with different sizes.

Using graph paper helps keep the hearts lined up so the pattern repeats evenly.

2. Repeat the Pattern

Once you have your first heart, carefully repeat it across the page. It can help to outline a row first, then fill in the rows above and below.

Take your time — this is a great exercise in patience and spatial awareness.

3. Color Your Design

Choose a color pattern and begin filling in the hearts. You can:

• Alternate colors

• Create stripes or gradients

• Use warm colors or cool colors

Every tessellation turns out differently, which makes this project so fun.

Math Skills Kids Practice

This Valentine math activity also builds important skills:

• Recognizing repeating patterns

• Understanding geometric shapes

• Spatial reasoning

• Symmetry and design

• Careful counting and measuring on a grid

It’s a sneaky way to do math while making art!

Make It a Classroom Activity

This project works well:

• As a Valentine math center

• For early finishers

• As a quiet art + math crossover activity

• On a bulletin board display for February

You can even challenge students to create their own tessellating shape after they try the heart version.

Want another fun Tessellations project?  Check out my post on Lego Tessellations!  Also, try this Heart Tessellation Project with Legos. (Instructions over at Little Bins for Little Hands).

Need More Valentine STEM activities?

Here are a few more ideas we love.

• Pascal’s Triangle of Hearts
• Valentine Thaumatrope: STEM Optical Illusion
• Valentine STEM ~ Cupid’s Arrow Math Game
• Valentine’s book from the STEAM Kids team!