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

1. 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.
2. Trim the ends of the tissue paper to make a tail. Add a wiggle eye. Use a marker to draw a mouth.
3. 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.