Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Kids
Of course, there are a million ways to celebrate the holiday of love. But kids don’t need a million things, and I haven’t got a million bucks. So here are my Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids:
- Say “I love you” all the time.
- Even if it can’t all happen on the same day–February 14–make time for each of your children alone. Even if it just 30 minutes in their bedroom, nothing says “I love you” like one-on-one time doing something they enjoy.
- Learn about the real St. Valentine and why we celebrate him. This is a great way to reinforce your values. For some, it also emphasizes religious beliefs.
- Buy a large heart-shaped cookie cutter and use it all day. In the morning, coat it with non-stick cooking spray and pour pancake batter into it to make heart pancakes. At lunch, use it to cut out the middle of sandwiches. For dinner, cut heart-shaped biscuits.
- Cook together. It could be as elaborate as breakfast in bed for Daddy, or as simple as baking a brownie mix. Whatever the recipe, kids love to be in the kitchen with a parent.
- Don’t give roses, plant a rose bush. In many parts of the country, February is a good month to plant bare-root roses. Enjoy them for many Valentine’s Days to come!
- Encourage your children to be loving to others, no strings attached. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or engage in a similar community outreach program.
- Remind children that loving relationships are two-way. Help them spend time to make and send personal greeting cards for loved ones. But be sure to start early! Trying to make a bunch of beautiful Valentines at the last minute is sure to take the love out of them.
- Start a new tradition. That could mean something different for every family. One year, I was short on money and time. I took my 3-year old son to Party City and bought him a red foil heart balloon for 99 cents. He insisted we get one again every year. A tradition was born! Little kids love rituals. And though older kids may insist they are “stupid” or at best unnecessary, these traditions are the things we remember as adults.
- Say, “I love you” again!
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