Valentine's Day is just around the corner! The day to show the people you care about that you love them. For some, it’s a day to make a spouse or significant other feel extra special, and, for others, it’s a day for loving on your family.
Growing up, my sister thought if you had to attend school on a holiday that it was not a real holiday. My mother, on the other hand, did her best to take advantage of every holiday to make it special. The holidays I remembered the most were Valentine's Day and Saint Patrick's Day because it was so bizarre to me that my mother could even make them as entertaining as she did. So, for all you parents out there who need some ideas to make Valentine's Day extra special this year, keep following along for some amazing Valentine’s Day activities for kids.
Have a Festive Meal
Make your kids a fun meal they will not forget. You can make heart-shaped pancakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry shortcake, a special dinner, or go out. Maybe your kids think mac and cheese is a fancy food - if so, make them mac and cheese. Whatever dish you choose, make it different from your day-to-day and something your kids enjoy. You can even have your kids help. Having a special meal different from your normal routine will help your kids notice that today is different.
My mother would decorate the table with a plastic pink table cloth, paper valentines day plates, and red cups. We always had heart-shaped pink pancakes with these pink heart-shaped marshmallows. It was so fun and memorable. My mom used inexpensive decorations to make the table look cute and to make the day fun.
Heart Attack (in a good way) Someone's Door
Heart Attacking is where you cut colored paper, generally red or pink, into hearts of various sizes. You can write nice notes on the hearts or leave them blank. After creating your paper hearts, you then tape them on someone's door - someone that you want to feel loved. As a parent, you can do this to each of your kids' bedroom doors, or take your kids out to heart attack a neighbor or loved one’s door. Not only is this a fun activity, but a great way to show people you care.
My mom would often heart attack our bedroom doors or beds. I loved it! It made me feel so special and like my mom was thinking about me a little extra. My siblings and I also had such a blast trying to be secretive as we decorated neighbors’ doors with brightly colored hearts. Not only was it enjoyable, but it really made us feel good to know we had made other people feel happy.
Make Heart Art
Do your kids love crayons? Art? Well, this might be your kind of activity. Take a bunch of crayons, whatever colors you want, and glue them to a blank canvas in the shape of a heart. The tips of the crayons should face outwards towards the edge of the canvas. Then set your canvas upright, and with a hairdryer in hand use the hot air to melt the crayons until they drip. Once the artwork is the way you and your kids want it, let it dry and then hang it up in your home.
I never did this as a kid, but have as an adult, and it’s tons of fun, especially if your kids are into art. Just make sure to have some newspaper under your canvas in case the crayon drips off.
Chocolate and Strawberries
Chocolate, strawberries, and chocolate-covered strawberries seem to be a staple on Valentine's Day. You can use Pinterest and find a recipe to make your own chocolate or buy melting chocolate to make your own chocolate-covered strawberries. This activity may be better for older children, but a delicious treat for children of all ages.
Each year my mom would share with us some chocolate strawberries she received from family. They tasted so good. We never made our own chocolate strawberries as kids, but we did get to make our own chocolate. My uncle loved to cook and make homemade everything, and he had these fun Star Wars molds we would use to mold the chocolates. My siblings and I loved Star Wars, so getting to make and eat our own Star Wars sweets was such a fun time. The whole process was a little messy, but we had a really good time with family and ended up with some delicious treats.
Deliver Heart Shaped Cookies
Sugar cookies are not just for Christmas. Making cookies with your kids may be the ultimate to do on Valentine's Day. Whether your kids are old enough to help make the dough, or just decorate with frosting and sprinkles, it's sure to be a fun activity everyone can enjoy. Then you can deliver them to family, friends, teachers, and just eat some yourselves.
On Valentine's Day, we would make heart-shaped sugar cookies and deliver them to our neighbors. As a kid or even an adult, decorating sugar cookies is so much fun, and so is sneaking a bit of frosting! My mom would help us decorate and drop the cookies off, and even bring some to our teachers at school. Not only did we feel good about being kind to others, but as kids, having the opportunity to eat lots of yummy cookies was pretty great.
Random Acts of Kindness
You may have heard about random acts of kindness or even done them yourself. Random acts of kindness are good deeds you do for others, like the title suggests, randomly. Some people leave money near items like diapers at grocery stores for mothers, others deliver goodies, or help a family in need, but regardless of the act, big or small, it is meant to be a wonderful way to serve others and a reminder to be kind. You can help your kids do service activities throughout the day or even just start with kind acts in your home.
In our home, we would have two or three paper hearts that would get passed around. A few people would start with a heart and do an act of service for another person in the family, then they would set the heart on what they did for that person. The person who the act of service was done for would then have the opportunity to do something kind for someone else and leave the heart for them. These paper hearts would circle all around our home. It brought me and my sibling closer together when we were actively doing nice things for one another. As my parents would always say, “If you aren’t getting along with someone, you should serve them.” This was probably one of my favorite activities besides making cookies. I hope you get a chance to experience it in your home.
No matter what you end up doing with your kids this Valentine’s Day, use it as an opportunity to show and teach love, compassion, and kindness. Remember no holiday or activity is too small to show your kids your care and have a good time, even if they have to go to school.
Comment and let us know what you want to try and what your favorite Valentine’s Day activity for kids is.
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