15 Easy Valentines to Give Your Kids
The first man to ever give me a Valentine was my father. It was a small statue of a little girl that read Dear God, Thanks for Fridays!, and Dad presented it to me as I sat working on homework in my room after school one Valentine’s Day. Now, my dad was not a habitual knick-knack giver and Valentine’s Day had never been a time in my family of traditions like this, so when he appeared out of nowhere and simply said “Happy Valentine’s Day – I love you” it was as if he had handed me a moonbeam engraved with my name.
Even though it is touted as a holiday for sweethearts, Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to show your children how much they mean to you and just how much they are loved. They don’t have to be extravagant or lavish gifts. They just need to come from your heart and speak to your children’s hearts.
- Use cookie cutters to make heart shaped foods for your kids – pancakes, sandwiches, tortillas, or anything you can cut and serve with love.
- Give your child a homemade coupon (or even a whole coupon booklet!). This way you can tailor your gift to your individual child. You might include things like
- Stay up Late Tonight
- Skip One Chore Today
- Choose the Family Movie to Watch
- Extra Bedtime Story
- Please Make My Favorite Dessert
- Write specific things you love about your child on small slips of paper, fold them, and fill a jar with your love for your child. Give the jar to your child and let him read one each morning or fill up his heart and read them all at once.
- Surprise your child by picking her up from school and taking her on a special outing to her favorite park.
- Get out your child’s baby book and show him baby pictures of himself while you tell him about the day he was born and everything you loved about that day.
- Make a treasure hunt for your child where the clues lead her to a special Valentine card, treat, or special token of your love.
- Create old fashioned homemade Valentine cards with your child and deliver them to neighbors or nursing home residents.
- Surprise your child by putting his favorite treat in his backpack or lunchbox, or leave it on his nightstand to find in the morning.
- Make a list with your child of all the things you love to do together, then pick one or more and choose a day on the calendar to go do these things. It will give you and your child a fun event to look forward to and remind you of the special love moms and dads have for their kids.
- Teach your child something new – how to ice skate, knit, or find the best tree for climbing. When we give our children teaching time we are giving them loving actions that will stay with them.
- Say a prayer for your child, and have them listen to you. So many times we might pray for our kids’ safety or well-being, but we might utter the words under our breath or only in our minds. When we pray out loud for our children we are opening our hearts to them.
- Take a t-shirt and use fabric paint to write “I Have the Best Son” on it and wear it proudly (not all teens think this is the best idea!).
- Get cozy flannel or cotton prints that reflect your child’s favorite things – I chose one with guitars on it for my string pick’n son – and make a homemade pillowcase. You can just fold 1.5 yards of fabric and sew to fit.
- Make paper heart chains, grab some balloons, and decorate your dining room with your child for a special Valentine’s Day meal for the family. Have little ones create homemade placemats by personalizing pieces of pink construction paper with pictures that show what your child loves about each person. Laminate them if possible for reusable keepsakes.
- Give your child an unexpected gift like my dad did. Your child may not scream with excitement or drop to her knees in thanks, but chances are she will always remember it and treasure it – just like I do.
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