Gift Guide 
Little hands develop dexterity and strength wrapping candies in tissue paper, tying, gluing, writing—the more it’s done, the easier it gets. Just be prepared: a few sweets may be eaten in the process!
What You’ll Need
- Wrapped candies
- Tissue paper
- Scissors
- Ribbon
- Wiggle eyes*
- Blue cardstock
- Glue
*These can be a choking hazard, so close supervision is needed.
What to Do
- For each valentine, place a wrapped candy in the center of a square piece of tissue paper. Bring up the corners. Tie the paper closed with ribbon.
- Trim the ends of the tissue paper to make a tail. Add a wiggle eye. Use a marker to draw a mouth.
- Cut a fishbowl or an ocean wave from blue cardstock. Glue on the fish. Write a message.
Extend the Fun
For younger kids: Try this small-fry version: Wrap each candy in a square of tissue paper and twist the ends together to make a fish tail—no tying involved. Draw a fish eye and a smile. Tuck each candy fish in a snack-size sandwich bag “fishbowl” and add a few goldfish crackers for company. Hand them out to your friends.
For older kids: Celebrate everyday occasions (birthdays and other holidays—Mother’s Day and Father’s Day too) with the same wrapped-candy technique, and think up messages that follow the fish theme: “I’d swim an ocean to wish you happy birthday,” or “Nothing fishy about it. You’re the greatest dad.” Or write a riddle or something “punny” (“Let’s shell-ebrate”).
Keep up with the latest parenting content from Highlights. Sign up for our Your Child and You Newsletter.
