3 Simple Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Your Kids

In our house, we love to celebrate holidays and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Although my husband and I don’t believe in being extravagant for this holiday, we both agree it is a great time of year to bring some simple love and kindness into the month. Now that we have two young daughters, I’ve been trying to discover ways to celebrate with our girls that show them love, kindness, and the simplicity of the holiday. Don’t get me wrong, our Valentine’s Day celebrations will still involve chocolate! We love chocolate and any excuse to have some around usually gets exploited. However, as a mother, I want to focus on some simple ways to celebrate with my girls at home.

Below are 3 simple ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your kids:

1. Fun Food

Using heart shaped cookie cutters, food coloring, or using food that is pink or red colored. Last year, and occasionally upon request from my toddler, I made heart pancakes. The first thing you need to do is make your favorite pancakes. Then use a heart shaped cookie cutter, to cut them into small heart shapes. You can add strawberries, red food coloring, or even sprinkles if you want to make them even more festive. This year, I might try making little grilled cheese hearts!

2. Valentine’s Day Books

Let’s be honest, like chocolate, I have a weakness for books, especially holiday-themed books. You won’t find a room in our house that doesn’t have a pile of books in it. For Valentine’s Day, I usually pull out all of our books that involve Valentine’s Day, love, and kindness. Here are some of our favorites:

• Love Monster by Rachel Bright
• Love by Eric Carle
• The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh
• I Love You This Much by Disney
• Love Is by Diane Adams
• The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll
• The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting

3. Simple Keepsake Crafts

 You can buy some pink and red paint or colorful construction paper, and the ideas are endless for painting or even construction paper hearts. I decided to do some footprint and handprint crafts with my 2.5 year old and 6 month old. I made a sign that says “LOVE” using my oldest daughter’s hand print to act as the “o” and my youngest footprints as the “v.”. Although their prints are not the best, I think they are perfect. I now have decorations for Valentine’s day that will forever memorize how little my girls once were and memories of them giggling as the paint squished between their toes.

I hope some of these simple ideas help you find less stressful ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your family!

What are your families’ favorite ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Happy early Valentine’s Day!