Valentine Heart Stained Glass Craft for Kids

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Looking for a bright and beautiful Valentine craft that kids will love? This Valentine heart stained glass craft is made from recycled cardboard rolls and colorful tissue paper. It looks stunning in a sunny window (like a beautiful sun catcher!) and even includes a simple science lesson about light and color.

This is an easy craft for home, classrooms, or homeschool — and the finished hearts make gorgeous Valentine decorations.

Why This Heart Stained Glass Craft Is So Special

✔ Uses recycled materials
✔ Encourages creativity and design
✔ Doubles as a science activity
✔ Makes a window decoration kids are proud of

When sunlight shines through the tissue paper, the colors glow just like real stained glass!

Supplies You’ll Need

• Toilet paper rolls

• Scissors

• Hot glue (or school glue)

• Clear contact paper

• Tissue paper (pink, red, purple, white)

• String or ribbon for hanging

Step 1: Make the Cardboard Hearts

1. Cut toilet paper rolls into rings about ½ inch wide. We used 8 pieces for ours.

2. Gently pinch one side of each ring to form a heart shape.

3. Tape the center part of the heart to keep the shape.

Step 2: Form a Heart Circle

Arrange the small cardboard hearts in a circle or wreath shape. When you like the layout:

• Add a small line of hot glue where two hearts touch

• Hold for a few seconds until secure

• Continue around the circle until all hearts are connected

You now have a beautiful heart frame!

Step 3: Add the “Stained Glass”

1. Cut a piece of contact paper slightly larger than your heart circle.

2. Peel the backing and place it sticky side up on the table.
   
   

3. Fill the open spaces with small pieces of tissue paper. Overlapping colors creates beautiful effects!

4. Add a dots of hot glue around the heart frame to secure it to the paper. 
   
   

Step 4: Finish and Hang Your Heart Stained Glass 

Trim around the outside edge, leaving a small clear border. Punch a hole at the top and tie on string or ribbon.

Hang your Valentine heart stained glass craft in a sunny window and watch it glow like glass hearts!

The Science Behind This Craft

This Valentine’s Day craft is also a simple light science activity.

Why do the colors glow?

Light can pass through some materials but not others.

Tissue paper is translucent, meaning light can travel through it. Cardboard is opaque, meaning light cannot pass through. 

That’s why the tissue paper lights up with color while the cardboard hearts stay dark. This is the same idea behind real stained glass windows!

You can also experiment with layering colors to see new shades form.  Also, try holding it in different types of light (sunlight vs indoor light).

Questions to Ask Kids

• What happens when you overlap two colors?

• Which colors glow the brightest in the sunlight?

• Why can light go through the tissue paper but not the cardboard?

See Related Activities:

Conversation Heart Valentine’s Day Game

Flower Stained Glass Art Project for Kids

Geometric Heart & Valentine STEM

Rainbow Stained Glass Window Craft for Kids

Rainbow Tie-Dye Suncatchers Craft