child making a paper valentine (how to celebrate Valentine's Day with kids)

For moms, Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily include getting dressed up for a fancy, romantic dinner. It might — and that would be great — but I love including the kids in the “love day” fun! Here are a few fun ideas for Valentine’s Day activities the whole family will enjoy.

Door love

Who doesn’t smile when they get a love note?! This Valentine’s Day, decorate your kids’ bedroom doors with cut-out hearts or Post-It notes that say what you love about them. What a way to make them feel great and start their day with a boost of confidence! This option from Harvard Homemaker is a great one, too — it features hearts for each family member to fill in, so everyone can feel the love!

Crafts and more crafts

One thing I’ve come to appreciate as a mom in the depths of New England winter is Michael’s order pick-up. The options for Valentine’s-themed crafts are endless, and you don’t have to be a creative mom when you’re using a craft kit! (Dollar Tree and Target are great for this, too!) Painting, DIY picture frames made of popsicle sticks, and the classic heart-shaped doily are just a few of the love-filled possibilities.

Themed meals

My kids absolutely love themed meals, and every food is more fun when it’s heart-shaped! If you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can use it to make so many different foods more festive — try toast, PB&J sandwiches, pancakes, or watermelon or cantaloupe. A drop of red or pink food coloring and a few heart-shaped sprinkles are another easy way to turn any drink or meal into a love-themed treat!

Baking cookies

Baking cookies is a great way to celebrate any holiday, really, but that heart-shaped cookie cutter can come in handy again for making Valentine’s-themed cookies. Store-bought sugar cookie dough and some fun sprinkles is all you need for little ones to have a blast decorating their own creations!

All the (simple) decorations

Stocking up on decorations for every little holiday can be daunting, time consuming, and costly. But homemade decorations are a great way to fill your home with love and give your kiddos an opportunity to display something they’ve worked hard to make. Anything red, pink, or heart-shaped will do! Valentine’s Day decor can also be great for a backdrop for family photos!

Read a heartfelt book

End the day with more love. “The Kissing Hand” is a favorite of ours all year round, but we always make sure to read it around Valentine’s Day. My local library always has shelves of Valentine’s-themed books on display this time of year, so we love to grab a few each visit then cuddle together (in Valentine’s Day-inspired pajamas, maybe?) and read them as a family.

Now that you have some fun ideas for your kids, don’t forget to include your partner. And if you are choosing to stay in this Valentine’s Day, here are some fun ideas to enjoy after you (finally) put the kids to bed.

Happy heart day, mamas!

This post was written in 2018 by Megan Samborski and was updated for 2024 by Stephanie Lynch.


 

1 COMMENT

  1. I love these! It’s my sons first Valentines Day (he’s 11 months old) , but I think I’m still going to start the a-door idea! That and we’re going out to breakfast! Starting some great traditions. Thanks for the amazing idea!

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