Adorable Clothespin Airplane Valentines

Kids will have a blast making these clothespin airplane valentines and giving them out to friends! The airplanes are such a cute craft idea on their own, and adding the Valentine message just makes it extra fun.

This is a great idea for kids who don’t like “mushy stuff” at Valentine’s Day! You can make the note say whatever you want – You’re the Best, You’re a Great Friend, etc.

These simple airplanes are just too cute! Use the clothespin to hold onto a little paper heart with a message.

If you don’t care about having the heart with the message, you can give the airplanes a propeller on the front. Here’s an example of clothespin airplanes with a propeller.

Paint your planes with whatever design you like! We had fun making them look sort of like real bi-planes.

Supplies Needed for Clothespin Airplane Valentines:

Clothespins – the type the open with a spring
Popsicle sticks – 2 per plane
Mini popsicle sticks – 2 per plate
Corrugated cardboard
Glue – we used hot glue
Acrylic paint and brushes
Scissors
Construction paper

Step 1: Assemble your pieces.

For each plane, you’ll need two popsicle sticks, one clothespin, and one mini popsicle stick.

Cut cardboard segments for the struts between the wings of the bi-plane. Make the cardboards segments just tall enough that the top wing will sit ABOVE the clothespin and not attached to it. That will allow you to still operate the clothespin to insert the paper heart.

Cut a segment of a popsicle stick to be a tail. NOTE – the photo shows the popsicle stick cut straight across, but if you cut the tail at an angle, it looks better.

Step 2: Assemble the plane with hot glue.

We found that it was easier to glue the plane together first before painting. That way, you can cover any sloppy glue areas with paint.

*Don’t glue the popsicle stick wing to the top of the clothespin, or the clothespin won’t open. Glue it to the cardboard struts.

Step 3: Paint your plane!

We used acrylic paint, and I really think that’s the best option. Just make sure to cover up clothes, etc. when working with acrylic because it won’t wash out.

Step 4: Cut out a heart from construction paper and write a cheerful message!

And that’s all there is to it!

These airplanes are quick to make, but I would rather make 10 of them than 30, haha. If your child has a lot of classmates, you might want to try making one and decide if you have enough time. If you’re making them for a small list of friends, they will work great!

Also, another idea – it might be fun to add a magnet to the belly of the plane and put it on the refrigerator!