Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. I know a lot of people comment on Valentine’s Day being a gimmick to just have to go out and buy things for people but I have to say I definitely disagree with that sentiment. Although I understand that statement, I also think there are hundreds of other ways to celebrate a day of love. Although I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day (I still remember coming home to homemade chocolate cupcakes with big gummy hearts on top when I was little) I love it even more now that I can celebrate it with our children.
Some great ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day
Post a cutout heart on your child’s door each night starting Feb. 1 leading up to Valentine’s day. Write something special about your child on each cutout. Each morning when they wake up they get to read something special about them. Some examples are, you’re a great big brother, you’re so helpful, you’re such a good reader, you’re so thoughtful or you’re so kind. I can’t wait to try this one out – what a great start to the day. Not to mention it’s not a very hard one for parents to get done, pre-cut the hearts and stash them near your bed for easy access and as a reminder.
Valentine’s Day is all about the crafts. Hearts, hearts and more hearts. There are heart people to be made, heart bugs/animals, heart crowns, heart garland and on and on and on. I love making heart-shaped people. The difficulty of this craft can vary depending on the age of the child. The idea is to fit as many hearts as possible onto your heart person. A large heart for the body, a smaller heart for the head, little heart-shaped eyes and nose. Add some yarn for hair and heart hands and feet. I love the addition of accordion arms and legs (cut out white strips of paper and let the child fold it back and forth making accordion-like arms and legs).
Valentine’s Recipe: Get the kids to help make some heart-shaped mini pizzas for dinner. Cut an English muffin into a heart shape, add sauce, toppings of your choice and top with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Finish dinner up with a simple chocolate fondue with fruit. The kiddos will love helping cut up the fruit and will love even more getting to dip it into chocolate.
You can also work together to make a batch of muffins or cookies for someone special in your lives. Maybe they’ll be for daddy/mommy to bring in their lunch or to deliver to grandma and grandpa. Whoever the recipient is your little baker will enjoy helping make and deliver these treats.
Spread the love to your extended family. Make a craft for grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins or neighbours. There are some simple cards to be made. You can use baby’s feet to make the shape of a heart with the caption “Love you from the bottom of my heart” or let your toddler fill a heart with squares of construction paper with the caption “Love you to pieces”. There are endless things to create. A quick search online will provide you with countless ideas.