Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. You are probably looking for some great things to do with your kids to make the holiday memorable. Here are some fun things to do to make this Valentine’s Day wonderful.
What I Like About You
Find a place on the wall or use doors for this activity. Cut out seven hearts per door or even seven per person per door. For each heart, write something you like about the other person. Each person could even do one heart per other person in the house each day. So, if you have two parents and two kids, one week before Valentine’s Day, each person would write three other cards (one for each other person). The children would write one for what they feel about each parent and their sibling. By the time Valentine’s Day arrives, they will have up to twenty-one cards (for a family of four) telling them how wonderful they really are.
Sponge Painted Hearts
It can be difficult for little hands to handle little stamps and shapes. Cutting a sponge apart means that you can cut them to the best size for your little one’s hands to maneuver. They can also add a clothespin to the back to help them hold the sponge. Use pinks, reds, and purples to create a unique Valentine’s Day art project suitable for framing.
Salt Dough Handprints
Salt-dough is fairly easy to make anyway. It’s a craft that can be made for any holiday. To make the dough, follow the recipe found here. They have a similar craft there too. Make the dough, and then let your child make a handprint. Cutting a large heart out of the dough with a cookie cutter can give you a great platform for the handprint. The dough can be painted in Valentine’s colors and sealed to last longer.
I Love Books
If you have some avid readers on your hands, there’s a fun way to make bookmarks using “found” materials. Hit up your local paint or hardware store. Paint “chips” often come with multiple colors in a bookmark shape, but they often have the color names on them. Use punch shapes to cut shapes in these cards and cut out fun shapes from coordinating paper or lace. Let the kids decorate these. If they are still relatively flat, they can even be laminated. You can cover the backs with construction paper to hide the paint details or glue two back-to-back. Before taking them, ask for the paint chips, but they are generally free.
Kiss Me
Cut ¾ inch circles from construction paper. You can have children decorate them before or after cutting them out. Glue the circles to the bottom of some Hershey Kisses. You can portion them out to keep from eating too many at once and put them in cute decorative bags.
You Give Me Butterflies
Make some butterfly treats with your kids. You only need a few supplies for this. Gather some small candies like M&M’s, SweetTarts, or Skittles, baggies, clothespins, googley eyes, and chenille stems. Glue the eyes and chenille stems to the clothespin like a butterfly body. Next, put some small candies in the baggies and clip the pin across the middle so that the candies look like wings.
Wood Ornaments
Pick up some inexpensive wood ornaments at your local craft store. Paint them in Valentine’s colors. They can be hung in windows or throughout your home. Consider putting them on a small indoor tree for a festive craft like no other.
We Fit Together
Print a favorite picture of your child out and glue it to thin cardboard. Then cut it into puzzle pieces and place it in a box. You can put together “their” puzzle anytime. Encourage them to pick a favorite picture out of you or your whole family for a larger picture.
Love Chain
Cut strips of paper and shape them into hearts linked together. You can even put love notes on each link of the chain. Each color can represent another member of the family. Like the first craft, write what you love about the person on the chain as you are making each heart. You are forever linked.
Cards
This may seem cliché and oversimplified, but making cards for people can make them happy all year long. If you don’t want a million cards hanging around the house, help your child make them for the people that they love who are far away. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, or teachers are also great recipients of these cards. Another great way to do this is to have your child make cards for local hospitals or nursing homes. Check with the staff about how they can be delivered.
Final Thoughts
Valentine’s Day gifts are much better when they are homemade. They bring so much more than a bright spot to a cold day in February. Your child will build positive memories, and you will cherish these gifts for years to come. If you want to spread the love, you can also share them with your extended family or community. Some people in nursing homes or hospitals rarely get gifts from the outside world. You and your child can bring joy to people who miss doing the same things with their kids and grandkids. Happy Valentine’s Day.
