While many grownups associate the holiday with romance — think bouquets of roses and candlelit dinners (are you writing this down, dads?) — it doesn’t mean you can’t spend Valentine’s Day showing your little ones how much you love them!
After the hullabaloo of the winter holiday season, you’re probably exhausted by the thought of planning more activities and outings, but a memorable Valentine’s Day weekend doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Here’s how we do it:
Heart-Themed Craft Station
For a fun Valentine’s Day craft, there are few things easier than assembling a craft station with nontoxic, edible clay (in red and pink), fun beads, pipe cleaners, and, if you’re feeling brave, red glitter. Create your own fancy jewels and adorable floral arrangements. Conveniently, when your little “sculptor” is done, you can keep his or her creations in an airtight container for future play. If clay isn’t as easy to come by, another great option is to gather some heart-shaped cookie cutters, put some washable paint in a bowl (with some drops of soap added to make cleanup a breeze) and you and your munchkin are ready to make some cute festive prints on construction paper.
Valentines For Our Four-Legged Friends
We’ve found that Valentine’s Day is also a wonderful time to teach your kids that it’s important to extend love and kindness to everyone, even our friends on four legs. Help your child write a Valentine to their favorite animal and then hand-deliver it to your local zoo.
Musical Hearts
If February weather is acting up in your area, we’ve found that indoor games work just as well. A round of “Musical Hearts” will allow your little one to get silly. First, cut out a bunch of big hearts, around 20 or so, using felt or construction paper. On the back of each heart, write a fun action that you know your child would love to perform, whether it’s to act like a chicken or sing the alphabet backwards. Place the hearts in a huge circle, put on some music, and walk along the outside of the circle like you would if you were playing Musical Chairs. When the music stops, flip the heart you landed near and perform the activity on the other side.
When your little one is tuckered out, settle down for a break with a little bit of chocolate and a Juicy Juice® juice box!
