This Symmetry Heart Painting is a fun way to talk about symmetry and to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
It’s almost Valentine’s Day so we are knee-deep into pink, red, hearts, and all things love-ly!
This heart symmetry art for kids is a fun craft I remember doing during my teaching days.
The preschoolers always really enjoyed this project because of the fun surprise at the end. They loved seeing the symmetry print revealed!
I still remember how big their eyes would get with excitement to see what happened to their painting! To make this craft super easy, I created 2 different heart templates for you to choose from. There are different heart shapes both with and without the line of symmetry drawn on them.
You can grab which ever version you like best.
What is symmetry anyway?
According to Super Simple, symmetry is when two parts of a whole are exactly identical. If you can draw a line down it and each side looks the same, you could say it is symmetrical.
Each side is a mirror image of the other.
Then, the line in the middle is called the Line of Symmetry. An example of symmetry is a butterfly, because it has two identical sides.
This heart symmetry activity is a great opportunity to teach the concept of symmetry to preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Kids will enjoy creating their own symmetry hearts by painting half of the heart shape and then folding on the line of symmetry to print a symmetrical pattern on the other side of the paper.
In addition, painting is a great way for younger kids to practice fine motor skills. Love that!
Alright, let’s get started making our heart symmetry art!
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Supplies for Butterfly Symmetry Painting
For this fun art project, you will need the following items:
– Free Heart Symmetry Printable – You can download it in this article.
– Kids Washable Paint – We love this paint by Crayola
– Paper Plates
– Q-Tips (or paint brushes)
You might also like to have paint smocks and a plastic table cloth to cover your table. Painting can get messy!
How to make Symmetry Heart Art
First, print out the symmetry Heart craft template of your choice. Fold the paper at the line of symmetry, then flatten the page back to normal. (We like to fold the paper in advance to make it easier to fold over later).
Create a paint palette for your child by pouring a variety of different colors of paint onto the paper plate for your child.
We decided to paint with Q-Tips today, but paint brushes will work as well.
Point out the line of symmetry to your child. Tell them to only paint the left side of the heart for this activity.
(We are only painting half of a heart so that we can print the symmetrical heart image on the other side of the piece of paper.)
For this to work properly, the paint needs to be thick enough and wet enough to make a print on the other side.
So, encourage your child to paint a thick layer and to paint quickly. If they take too long, the paint might dry before they get to make their symmetry print.
Once they have painted the left side, help your child to fold the right side over the left side. Press the paper together, then help them in opening the heart printable.
Kids will be so excited to see that their painting has been copied onto the right side of the heart!
And… that’s it! You’ve made symmetrical hearts!
This is one of my favorite heart art projects because it’s the perfect way to mix math with the fun of art! Love that!
These symmetry hearts might work great for Valentine’s Day cards or you might like to jazz them up with glitter glue. No matter which way you do it, kids are sure to enjoy this fun craft project!
Get the Heart Symmetry Printable
To get the free symmetry heart craft template set, just click on the black download button below!
There’s a heart symmetry worksheet both with the symmetry line printed and a plain heart template without the symmetry line.
Choose the heart symmetry printable you think will work best for your craft.
I made sure that each heart is perfectly centered on the page, so that folding on the line of symmetry is easy.
My youngest preferred using the papers with the line of symmetry drawn on them. She liked knowing exactly where the line to stop painting was.
Her slightly older sister likes the look of the page without a line, so I included both options for you!
More Symmetry Crafts for Kids
Looking for additional ideas for teaching symmetry?
There’s a fun Butterfly Symmetry Craft here. Perfect for spring and summer!
You can find an Easter Egg Symmetry printing craft here. It’s so much fun and these make super easy crafts for Easter.
There’s a Christmas tree Symmetry craft here that is perfect for the holiday season. Kids will love making colorful designs with this fun project.
You can find a Flower Symmetry Craft here. This one works well for spring or even Mother’s Day!
More Valentine’s Day Activities
Looking for more fun Valentine’s Day activities?
You can find some free printable Valentine’s Day Coloring pages here. These free printables make a wonderful quiet time activity. They are perfect for kids of all ages!
There’s a Heart Butterfly Craft here. It’s a fun Valentine craft that’s great for kids!
If you’d like to make Valentine’s Day decorations with your kids, be sure to grab a copy of this printable Love Banner. Kids can color in the letters and hearts to create this cool decorative banner.
There’s a fun Marble Paint Heart Craft here that’s perfect for little ones!
Lastly, you can find a printable that’s perfect for Handprint Heart Craft projects. This craft is perfect for little ones to make for their parents or grandparents for Valentine’s Day.
Want to save this Symmetry Heart idea for later? Pin the image below to your Valentine’s Day Activities for kids board on Pinterest.
