Ah February! While it’s cold outside, our hearts stay warm with the reminder of love for others as we celebrate Valentine’s day. Though Valentine’s day is often considered a romantic holiday for adults, for children, this is a wonderful opportunity for parents to encourage expressions of love and appreciation for friends, teachers, and family members. In this article, I have some Valentine’s family fun with inspiring resources and ideas for ways parents can support children in exploring the concepts of love and appreciation.
Here are 5 Valentine’s Family Fun Activities to Try!
- Snuggle up with a book about love! As a reader of my blog, you probably know by now that I find books to be an invaluable way for children and parents to bond while learning and exploring various concepts about life. I have a few of my favorite books here for parents and children to read together on the topic of LOVE.
Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton is a simple, little love song for very young children all about the unconditional love the dogs have for the puppy. https://amzn.to/3xstECL
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joose is a refreshing story about a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter despite the daughter testing the boundaries and the mother having normal emotions of frustration and anger sometimes. https://amzn.to/36pJkKR
I Love You the Purplest also by Barbara Joose is a beautiful story about a mother of two sons and how she loves each of them for their own specialness. https://amzn.to/2SYRXJt
Love by Matt de la Pena is a book about love even in times of adversity and darkness. https://amzn.to/3yB0K3k
2. Make some home-style valentine’s cards! With a free downloadable printable provided, this craft article will provide instructions on how you and your child can make some fun, simple valentines. Here are 22 more creative home-made valentine ideas to inspire you!
3. Celebrate love with a warm blanket, popcorn and a movie! Pop some Valentine’s Popcorn, snuggle under a warm blanket on the couch and watch a move about LOVE such as The Little Prince, Lady and the Tramp or The Princess and the Frog.
4. Make a Valentine’s game to play together! Valentine’s family fun is just a simple game away. With this free printable, you can have your own home-made memory game with a Valentine’s theme. Not only will you have fun playing this game together as a family, memory games are great for helping children hone skills for focus, patience and taking turns. Prefer a more physical game? How about making a Valentine’s bean bag toss game?
5. Make a special Valentine’s breakfast together! How about heart shaped pancakes with a special strawberry sauce? Here’s a recipe. While you’re enjoying your special pancakes together, talk about how the heart is a symbol for where our love grows for others within us.
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s day the entire month of February or you reserve the 14th for special holiday activities, when the winter weather keeps you stuck inside, it’s the perfect time to help your child consider what it means to feel and express love for others. Having some special Valentine’s family fun activities planned will enable your family to create lasting memories of shared love and connection.