5 Fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Little Kids

Valentine’s Day is the ultimate romance holiday. It’s all about intimacy and love for adults. But kids enjoy the holiday too. I remember it as being a big day in school and looking forward to munching on Red Hots, making heart art, and of course the fun of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards with classmates.

There are lots of sweet ways to make Valentine’s Day a treat for the whole family. Here are five of our favorites:

Movie Magic

Cozy up and make yourselves a nest on the sofa with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Pop some corn or make hot cocoa and entertain yourselves with favorite movies like A Charlie Brown Valentine, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, or Enchanted. 

Sweet Treats

What better way to make them feel special than with baking? Pull out your heart shaped cookie cutters, sugar cookie dough, some strawberry jam, and powdered sugar. Make enough cookies to spread the love with the entire family for days to come.

Love Lesson

According to The History Channel’s website, it is believed that Americans began exchanging hand-made Valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland began selling the first mass-produced Valentine cards. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made ornate creations with real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures. Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (Mother’s Day is #1). For a real history lesson in love, find a bunch of vintage Valentine images online and text them to your child, or make a slide-show on their computer. 

Hearts Hunt

Warm up for the annual Easter Egg hunt by hiding red paper hearts all over the house for the kids to find. The one who finds the most (stage a scavenger hunt, if you’ve got one child) wins a special treat.

Three Little Words

Ask everyone – including yourself – to share three reasons they love each member of the family. These can be spoken or written. For shy kids, get them to open up by making funny, silly guesses and having them confirm or deny (i.e., “Do you love me because I wake you up for school every morning?”).

Love isn’t just for couples – lead by example and teach your child the importance of celebrating the best in us early in life!

What are some of your sweetest Valentine's traditions at home? Share them with us in the comments below!