Creative ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day as a family
Valentine’s Day is a chance for all of us to celebrate our loved ones, and remind them how much they mean to us. When you’re in your dating years, that typically means presenting your romantic interest with flowers, chocolates, and maybe a nice night out. But when you have a family, there are still plenty of fun and entertaining activities you can do with your little ones that will help you bond as a family and create lasting memories. We put together a list of creative and cute Valentine’s Day ideas to help you celebrate as a family.
Make your own sweet treats
A classic go-to purchase for Valentine’s Day is, of course, chocolate. But why not turn gifting chocolate into a kid-friendly cooking activity? There are several easy recipes to make your own chocolate at home, all you need are a few simple ingredients like cocoa butter, salt, dry milk powder, sugar and a few others. You can even throw in some fun additions like rice cereal, sliced almonds or drizzled caramel to really take things to the next level. If you can pick up heart shaped silicone baking molds from your local grocery store or bakers’ supply store, even better!
Go on a sunset picnic
Romantic dates are typically set with a candlelit dinner and a lovely view or sunset in the background. If you’ve experienced one before, you know how romantic it really is, and if you haven’t yet then why not start this tradition with your little ones? Plan to visit your favorite neighborhood park, a remote beach, or even a mountain range — any place where you can experience nature and a sunset without many people around. Make sure to pack everyone’s favorite snacks, and of course a big picnic blanket. If you really want to elevate the ambience, bring a speaker for music.
Host a movie night under the stars
Movie night under the stars is a great idea for all ages. Buy or borrow a digital projector and screen, or if you can, rent one from your local electronics store. You can choose from several romantic and age-appropriate classics like the Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek or Lady and the Tramp for your screening. All you need to do is hang a large white sheet on some trees for a screen, cook up tons of popcorn, and enjoy the show!
Create heart-shaped works of art
Every parent knows how much their kids love arts and crafts. The feeling of putting something together with your hands, not to mention all the cutting, pasting, ripping, gluing and arranging that comes with art projects. Take advantage of your kids’ creative sides by making colorful heart collages. Print out their pictures of their favorite people and/or pets, stick them on some red construction paper, and decorate it all with fun glitter! When they’re finished, hang up their works of art on the fridge for months to come, and give your little ones something to feel proud about.
Write letters of appreciation
Although your kids are probably not old enough to have their first crushes, you can still get them in the spirit of love and expression with personal love letters. Have each person in the family write letters to each other - tell your kids to think about what they appreciate most about everyone else, and create a little Valentine’s Day card to exchange and read together. It’s little actions like these that bring families closer together while teaching kids how to express themselves.
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