Making Valentine’s Day crafts is meant to be a fun activity. But when it comes to making crafts you know that you and your children will not be able to enjoy the creative process if you do not follow some basic safety rules. The safety tips you need to keep in mind when making Valentine’s Day crafts are probably all things that you have heard before. Yet despite their simplicity, complacent attitudes still make safety a concern for many people especially those who are making Valentine’s Day crafts as part of a larger group (such as a school group).
Scissors — Scissors are probably going to be the most common risk factor that you encounter in your craft making experience. Make sure that the scissors that you use are age appropriate. Meaning that you have young children use blunt child-safe scissors and that if you need to cut something that is thick, intricate or otherwise difficult, that a parent or adult be in charge of doing so as opposed to having a child try to use sharp scissors.
Free mobility in large groups — When you are working with a group of kids who are making crafts, you are presented with some unique challenges simply because of the close proximity of the kids. If a child is gets excited and starts wielding a pair of scissors, straw, or even glue stick it could hurt another person if one of these or another craft object hit them in the face (and most specifically in the eye). Make sure that all of the children have ample room to do the craft. Watch them carefully to make sure that they stay within their own space parameters not only to protect themselves and their classmates but to avoid conflict over kid’s desire to have a certain level of personal space.
Ingesting danger with younger children — Young children (and especially those under the age of two) should not be given any sort of craft material that is small enough for them to put in their mouths. Young kids and toddlers do not understand the concepts of hygiene or choking hazards that are present when such materials come into close contact with the mouth.
Additionally things like paints, glitter, glues, clay can be serious health concerns if ingested. In the case that a material is ingested but you do not believe the situation to be life threatening call poison control to make sure that the child will be alright. If the child’s airway is blocked or if you believe that the child’s life is in danger call 911 immediately. Safe guard your craft materials just the same way as you would your cleaners and other harmful chemicals just to be safe. Also, keep a close eye on your kids as they are eating their Valentine’s Day candies or working with them as part of a project. Conversation heart candies, for example, are easily choked on and do not usually dissolve quickly enough to eliminate the risk of choking if one of these candies were to become lodged somewhere that they ought not to be.
Hot glue — Hot glue can adhere things like regular glue and tape cannot. You may have some Valentine’s crafts that require the use of a glue gun. With younger kids it is best if an adult handles the glue gun. It is up to the discretion of the parent or teacher when it comes to allowing older children to use a glue gun. Just remember that it is both the glue and the metal tip of the glue gun that can become very hot. Serious burns could result from carelessness when using a glue gun.